BX 7260 
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ACCOMPANIED BY^ 

E£GHT DISCOURSES; <=. 




ON VARIOUS OCCASIONS AND TOPICS, 



BY EZEKIEL CHEEVER. 



It seemed good to me— to write— that thou mightest know 
the certainty.— Luke's Preface to his Gospel 



i 

• Northampton:^ 

JOHN METCALF PRINTER, 

1835, 












.. 



Entenec| aVcordipg to Act of Congress" i|i the 
By Ezekiel Ch1?ever, 
In the Clerks Office of the District Court of Massachusetts. 



'**£ i 



imitation- 



This little unpretending volume, which 
is now submitted to the Christian Commu- 
nity, was, in no wise, prepared, on account 
of its intrinsic merits, but, in the hope, 
that while they remember them that are in 
bonds as bound with them, and them that 
suffer adversity, as being themselves also 
1 the body ; they will take into considera- 
ble circumstances of the writer of the 
wing pages, and help a little to let him 
live. It is sent forth, in the simple depend- 
ence of an infant's helplessness upon the 
Father of the fatherless in His holy habita- 
tion. And to the Christian philanthropist, 
whoever and wherever he may be, whose 
delight it is to render relief to those, who, 
in a time of adversity, are putting forth 
their last remaining efforts in a struggle for 
• xistence, it is humbly dedicated. 



SKETCHES, &c. 



I was born at Ashby in the county of Middle- 
sex, Mass. September 17, 1783. My father, 
who was then pastor of the church in that place, 
was born at Weymouth, March 1, 1751. He 
was afterwards dismissed and installed at Go- 
shen, in January, 1788. A history of his an- 
cestry has been published by a distant relation, 
the Hon. Ezekiel Whitman of Portland, Me. 

My mother, whose maiden name was Grace 
Cheever, was the youngest of four sisters ; one 
of whom is now living in Boston. She was born 
at Charlestown, August 26, 1756. Her father, 
Ezekiel Cheever, who was a commissary of the 
army, in the revolutionary struggle with Great 
Britain, was born May 9, 17*20. The name of 
his first wife was Sarah Phillips. He was after- 
wards married to a British lady by the name of 
Sarah Weaver, a descendant of the Bishop of 
Cumberland, England. His father, the Hon. 
Ezekiel Cheever, was born March 9, 1693. 
His grandfather, the Rev. Thomas Cheever, of 
Chelsea, August 23, 1658. Ezekiel Cheever, 
the father of the last named, was the son of a 
linen draper, and was born in London , January 
t-born was the Rev. Samuel 
I 



6 

Cheever of Marblehead. He had five daughters 
and one son, whose name was Ezekiel, by his 
first wife. By his second wife, Ellen Lathrop, 
the sister of Capt. Thomas Lathrop, who was 
killed by the Indians at Deerfield in the year 
1675, he had one daughter and two sons, prior 
to the birth of the Rev. Thomas Cheever, my 
immediate ancestor ; who died December 27, 
1749, aged ninety-one. Susanna, a daughter, 
who was born afterwards, attained to the age of 
eighty-four. His youngest son, William, died 
in infancy. 

The dawn of my life is said to have been dis- 
tinguished by such a docility, as awakened in 
the paternal bosom the fondest hopes, that ere 
long an exuberance of fruit would spring up 
from buds so pleasing and full of promise, that 
would gladden the hearts of many generations. 
But, alas, the breath of adversity soon withered 
the shoots which were beginning to betoken the 
twilight of an intellect, an ampler development 
of which might have stamped upon character an 
additional impress of its moral worth and im- 
mortal destiny. 

As far as the strength of paternal testimony 
can have any influence upon the faith of filial 
affection, it may be safely asserted, that I was 
less than two years of age, when, one day, as 
my father was teaching the alphabet to my older 
brother, I pressed upon him with an earnest de- 
sire of being instructed, as he was. Not unwil- 
ling to indulge the propensity of a child, by 
whose demeanor, perhaps, was signified my ap- 



prehension of being neglected; he presently 
held the spelling book open before me, and 
pointing to the letters, I promptly pronounced 
the names of nearly all of them in their usual 
order from A to Z. 

In about two years from the time of this inci- 
dent, at my return from school, observing a sil- 
ver spoon with a porringer of bread and milk 
upon the table, I laid hold of the spoon, and af- 
ter spelling the word, Silver-spoon, distinctly 
and audibly; 1 supped a few spoonfuls of its 
contents, and then hied me away to the tiny 
amusements, on which my infantile mind was 
too intent to be allured for a moment by the 
daintiest sustenance. 

Shortly after the occurrence just mentioned, 
returning from school, T was stopped in the 
street by a stout lusty-looking fellow, who pick- 
ed up a stone of the size of a pompion, exclaim- 
ing, as he held it over my head, " I'll dash your 
brains out." Panic struck, and half deprived of 
my senses, I was scarcely able to put forth an 
effort to get away from his clutches. Venturing 
however to make the attempt, I soon approach- 
ed the paternal roof, when the fear of danger 
was relieved by the hope of safety. 

In the tenth year of my age I was deeply af- 
fected with a consciousness of my obligation to 
God ; that the law was holy and the command- 
ment holy, and just and good ; that a cheerful 
performance of its every requirement was a rea- 
sonable service ; and that piously and persever- 
ingly discharging from the heart, the duties en- 



joined in the Gospel, would, eventually in the 
plenitude of divine mercy, open to me the gates 
of righteousness, and bring me in favor with the 
King of heaven. To have displeased my pa- 
rents and offended God, was a source of inquiet- 
ude, at thought of which the tear of sensibility 
betrayed my emotion. But the season of these 
exquisite feelings was of short continuance. 

Not long before this I had manifested a, taste 
for the Muses by writing rhymes ; of which the 
following and first I ever wrote, with a trifling 
alteration, is subjoined as a specimen : — 

Boy, you are certainly unfair 
To take, unasked, the smallest share 
Of what belongs to none but me — 
Perhaps you may a robber be. 

In my twelfth year, as I was reading Virgil, 
1 attempted versifications of certain portions of 
the second book ; several lines of which, ver- 
batim et literatim, as written at first, with oth- 
ers amended, are here inserted : 

On this Laocbon drew near, 
With prudent friends, to interfere ; 
O wretched countrymen, said he, 
Where do you think the Grecians be I 

Or in the precincts of this field, 
Or this bi£ horse they lie concealed. 



Then of the harm within that lurks 
Beware ; nor meddle with their works. 



Behold Cassandra with her hair dishevelled, 
By wicked wretches drawn about the temple, 
Raising, in vain, her glaring eyes to heaven ; 
Monstrously cruel ! 

With fury, then, the Trojans grown indignant, 
Mounting their housetops, tare up its foundations, 
And the huge rafters, like a falling tree, come, 
Tumbling upon them. 

My mind, at about this period, was unusually 
interested on the subject of religion ; insomuch 
that on one occasion, I took with me, into the 
study, one of my brothers, and prayed with him. 

At the age of thirteen I went to Boston. A 
coasting schooner, in which my uncle David 
Whitman went as mate, was lying at Long 
Wharf; the boat belonging to which I took, and 
when at a little distance from the wharf, as I 
was rocking it in sport, I fell into the sea. Un- 
able to swim, I was terrified ; and expecting to 
be drowned, I cried for mercy. I suppose I 
had sunk and risen again to the surface, when 
I was seized by the hair of my head, and taken 
into a boat. Who my deliverer was 1 was never 
able to ascertain. My health, for months after- 
wards was very delicate. 



10 

After this, I studied awhile under the inspec- 
tion of the Rev. Paul Litchfield of Carlisle. 
From Carlisle I went to Groton, and was seve- 
ral weeks in a school with my cousin Hannah 
Whitman. She was left a widow Roby, and 
died at Detroit, Michigan, in Aug. 1834. I after- 
wards went to the academy to the end of the 
year, from the time I fell into the sea ; when I 
returned to Goshen. My aunts, Abigail and 
Elizabeth Cheever, the former of whom is now, 
(February 1835,) living in Boston, left there 
about the same time, and resided at my father's 
in Goshen about a year. 

At the age of fifteen I wrote six or eight stan- 
zas on friendship, of which the following is re- 
tained in memory : 

True friendship is founded on virtue alone, 
The basis of kindness, to evil unknown ; 
The designing, forsooth, may associates procure ; 
But virtue alone will true friendship insure. 

At the age of sixteen I composed a Nuptial 
Ode, that was sung at the wedding of John C. 
Lyman and Susanna Burgess : which is here 
subjoined : 

NUPTIAL ODE. 

Christ, on a solemn nuptial day, 
Before a train in bright array 
A miracle performed ;— 



J i 

Delicious wine their joy increase.) 
It graced the matrimonial feast, 

And love their bosoms warmed 

Jesus was jointly called with those 
Whom he for his disciples chose ; 

The entertainment free — 
Not unprepared did they accept : — 
And though for dying men they wept, 

Were happy there to be. 

When at the marriage feast ; tw r as known 
Jesus would not attend alone, 

A greater crowd resorts ; 
And water, that he turned to wine, 
Imbued with qualities benign, 

The festival supports. 

How happy did the guests appear 
While Jesus' company was near 

To entertain the fair ! 
Thus may your social hours be blest ; 
May love Divine pervade your breast 

And flourish sweetly there. 

Subsequent to this, a concern for my soul 
was revived again ; I was in great distress on 
account of my alienation from God by wicked 
works, and continued so for some months. Ai 



12 

length an inexpressible peace and serenity of 
mind came over me, and every thing around me 
seemed to be showing forth the praises of the 
Lord. I united soon after with the Congrega- 
tional church in Goshen, of which my father 
was then the pastor. 

In the course of this year I made an attempt 
in English Hexameter ; but knowing it was un- 
suited to the spirit and genius of the English 
language, I abandoned as visionary the design 
I had^formed of endeavoring to write in that 
measure. 

in September 1800, a few weeks before I 
was seventeen, I became a member of Williams' 
College, with leave of absence till the February 
term, on account of my health ; the state of 
which, at that time, forbade my return. Prior to 
this, I had been almost blind, so that my studies, 
for about a year, had been discontinued. 

I attended the commencement of the follow- 
ing year 1801 ; and my name appeared in the 
Sophomore class of the college catalogue. Ta- 
ken sick of a fever directly afterwards, I was 
several weeks at Mr. Edson's under the care of 
Dr. Sheldon. Dr. Towner also came to see me. 
As soon as I was able to get on to my horse, I 
returned to Goshen by short stages, making a 
journey of several days. I did not again return 
to college, but did not, at that time, abandon 
the hope of being able, in due time, to pursue 
my studies. I was, nevertheless, during the 
rest of the autumn and ensuing winter scarcely 
fit for any employment. As the spring returned, 



13 

my health and spirits being somewhat improved ? 
I wrote the following hymn : 

See ! Spring returns benign and mild ■ 

The balmy Zephyrs blow ; 
The grateful fields fresh verdure yield 

To cherish man below. 

The feathered tribes their notes resume, 

And, in harmonious lays, 
Teach man, that He, who decks the Spring, 

Deserves the highest praise. 

On every side unnumber'd charms 

Exhilarate our eyes ; 
While Phoebus, glowing in the east, 

Irradiates the skies. 

Nature, with bounteous hand, displays 

Her many color'd flowers ; 
And, with an unassuming smile, 

Beguiles the fleeting hours. 

About the last of April I set out on a journey 
to Ballston Spa, and not having, at first, consul- 
ted a physician, I made an imprudent and too 
liberal use of its powerfully active and tonic wa- 
ters. Had I known then, as I think now, I af- 
terwards did, the proper manner and measure to 
be employed ; I have hardly a doubt that a state 
2 



14 

of confirmed health would have been thoroughly 
secured. But, as it was, 1 was benefited in a 
measure, and went again in the summer follow- 
ing, deriving, however, from the use of its wa- 
ters no perceptible advantage. And not regar- 
ding it, as I should have done, as one of the 
events in the Providence of Him who is too 
good to be unkind and too wise to err : I became 
dejected by disappointment at the interruption 
of pursuits connected with college life, and 
abandonment of those with whom I had hoped 
to have been a competitor for its honors and 
emoluments. And in looking back upon this 
period of more than a year of the bloom of my 
life, it appears like a dream. 

In imitation of the celebrated dietetic Vene- 
tian, Lewis Cornaro, I began the following year. 
to adopt an extremely uniform and limited diet, 
of which, from that time to this I have been 
more tenacious than any person I have ever 
known ; and am still disposed to regard its 
adoption as a principal means, of the little health 
I now enjoy. And after the lapse of several 
years, it became, by this means, better than it 
had been, since a little prior to my sixteenth 
year. But being noticed, if not ridiculed, for 
my scrupulous and pertinacious exactness, and 
not liking to be thought unnecessarily singular, I 
became, in process of time, more careless in re- 
gard to my diet ; and the consequence was a 
return of dyspepsia. I was troubled, moreover, 
with a scrophulous humor, which, I suppose, was 
the root of the evil attending me. 



15 

In the spring of 1803, I fell backwards upon 
the study floor, and was roused by ray fall. In 

the summer following, I fell into the lire. 

It was therefore with a special reference to ? 
stricter diet, that I went, in the autumn, and tar- 
ried at Groton, with my father's sister, the wid- 
ow Charity Nash, till the following summer, 
when I returned to Goshen upon a grey colt she 
had raised, that was sold by my father to Mr. 
Wing of Goshen. 

Near the close of that year I was again at 
Groton, and saw, for the last time, my brother 
John, who died at Boston the succeeding year. 
In the autumn of that year, 1S05, I wrote a Po- 
em on the news of his death, which was pub- 
lished in January 1806, and for the gratification 
of the reader is here inserted. 

ON THE DEATH OF MY BROTHER, 

JOHN WHITMAN, 
JVho died in Boston, Sept. 3, 1805; aged 16. 

Adieu, my Brother ! while from day to day, 
The laboring mind pours forth the plaintive lay . 
And hovering o'er thy grave, would fain engage 
To write thy memory on the fairest page. 
— A task replete with labor though it be 
Pleasant, indeed, yet difficult for me ; 
Youth's buoyancy unpaired, and in it- stead 
Dyspeptic stomach and a dizzv head 



lei 

But, notwithstanding, I would vet forbear 
To banish joyous hope, and court despair : 
And anxious to do good, would meekly wait, 
Though great my cross, my disappointment great. 
Thus Job behaved ; what blessings on his head, 
His heavenly Father hence vouchsafed to shed ! 
Like him a mourner, and like him oppressed, 
Oh ! may the great Physician give me rest : 
The balm of consolation soon apply : 
Bid spring return, and banish every sigh : 
Refresh my fainting soul with grace divine : 
Disperse my clouds, and cause his face to shine. 

O Death insatiate ! thy relentless dart 
Awakes new anguish — penetrates my heart ; 
Consigns a Brother to the lonely shades — 
See how in floods of grief my spirit wades. 

Ere yet the sun had reached meridian height. 
From earth's delusive charms he took his flight : 
Towering on w T ings, to heaven he bends his way. 
And seeks the abodes of everlasting day : 
Angels conduct him to the golden gates — 
To meet him entering, there the Saviour waits, 
And leads him on to view r the palace, built 
For those redeemed by grace from sin and guilt. 
He, there, admires the glories, which the saint. 
With life's decaying nature cannot paint ; 



17 

There, too, the architecture heaven displays, 
And through the wide expanse he seems to gaze. 
Blest in the effulgent beams of happier skies, 
He views with grateful joy his radiant eyes, 
Peculiar in their lustre, ever bright, 
And evermore imparting new delight. 
Affectionate he smiles and seems to say, 
Weep not for me, " Chase all thy fears away •" 
Prepare to meet me on fair Eden's shore, 
Where bliss is perfect, and the saints adore. 

Go tread the tiresome round by Heaven as- 
signed ; 
Thy God to thee is infinitely kind : 
His gracious eye attentive to thy care, 
Is ever watchful, lest the fowler's snare 
Betray thy feet incautious — thee he claims, 
And still to catch thee insolently aims ; 
But He who saves from death engages still 
To guard and guide thee to His holy hill ; 
For, boundless, as His mercy, is His love, 
In showers descending on thee from above. 
His goodness, constant as the varying year, 
Was ever present, when, with anxious fear, 
Distress and grief o'er whelmed, and laid thee 

low, 
Vnd caused ;i the tear of sympathy to Uo\\y ; 



18 

Eternal wisdom, mystery divine, 
From infancy to manhood, clearly shine ; 
In thee more clearly — recollect the days — 
They show, at least, how sovereign are his ways. 

In clouds and darkness, veiled from human 
sight, 
With matchless skill, in undivided light, 
God works His wonders, and pursues His plan. 
Fixed and determined, ere the world began. 
His hand unseen directs minute affairs ; 
In all our least concerns His wisdom shares. 
If to the ground the sparrow never falls 
By him unnoticed — when the raven calls 
If He attends, and feeds the fainting brood. 
As well as guides the sun and calms the flood ; 
On man, ordained by him o'er all below, 
Earth's choicest blessings shall He not bestow ; 
Who sent his Son with messages of grace, 
To save a ruined and apostate race ? 

Planets and stars, in varied order, see, 
Numbered and named by the Eternal Three, 
Their orbs inspecting, and the various ways 
Of man, in childhood, youth and latter days. 
By wisdom so profound He kindly aims 
To show what he approves, and what He blames ; 
What ardent love and gratitude we owe 



19 

His tender care, from whom such blessings flow ; 
To lead our souls contemplative to rise 
Above the world, to Him who built the skies, 
And bow submissive : and the Power revere, 
That nips the bud or wipes the falling tear. 

Bereft of thee, my Brother ! and bereft 
Of earth's best blessing, health, what now is left? 
Ambiguous prospects open to my view ; 
My plan devised, strength fails me to pursue ; 
My spirits droop ; — what once afforded joy 
Is now insipid, empty, vain and coy. 
Life seems to be a gift of no esteem, 
Or, at the best, but meteors of a dream, 
A thing scarce worth the having — little known, 
With pain and disappointment overflown. 
And, yet, the worldling surfeited with care, 
And love of that, which ever proves a snare, 
Clings to the earth, the idol he adores, 
Desirous only to increase his stores — 
Beguiled by faithless, fascinating toys, 
That mock the senses with a gaudy noise, 
And promise aid, that uniformly fails, 
When mostly needed — since it ne'er prevails 
O'er death the king of terrors — awful thought — ■ 
A right to heaven and bliss can ne'er be bought ; 
Man cannot traffic with the Kingq of kings 



20 

For solid good with perishable things. 
Let God be, then, my never-failing Prop, 
The firm Foundation of my only hope : 
Myself in deep distress, I'll still betake 
To Him, who never did, nor will forsake. 

No time is misimproved or spent in vain, 
To set a wandring pilgrim right again ; 
Faith's telescopic, penetrating eye, 
On all occasions views the Saviour nigh, 
Whose chastening rod paternal love entwines— 
And pity lets it fall, when his designs 
Are fully answered — when the broken heart 
Laments his sins, and mourns with inward smart. 

However dark to us His ways appear, 
Our duty binds us ever to revere 
That Sovereign Power which called the heav- 
ens and earth, 
And universal nature into birth. 
For favors past devoutly praise His name, 
And waits his time for blessings which remain. 

To Him who guides the doubtful — saves from 

death 
Whose care attends us to the latest breath — 
Whose love is great— whose mercy has no 

bounds, 



31 

While day and night revolve in ceaseless rounds : 
Let grateful songs of praise incessant rise — 
Be thou exalted, Lord, above the skies ! 

A copy of this Poem was presented to Mr. 
Devens of Charlestown, in consideration of 
which I received a donation of eleven dollars, 
with permission to take at the Tract Depository 
in Boston, as many tracts as I thought proper. 
I received, at the same time, thirty dollars of 
Miss Russell, and smaller sums of Miss Brad- 
street, Mrs. Hinkley and others. 

Near the close of this year, (1806) my health 
was so impaired that but little hope of my re- 
covery was entertained by any one. It may, 
probably, be attributed to being, at this time, 
under the direction of Dr. Wells of Montague, 
that, after several months confinement, I was 
again able to sit up the greater part of the day, 
and to walk abroad ; being, nevertheless, for 
more than two years, extremely feeble in body 
and mind. 

In the society of which my father was pastor, 
there was a general revival of religion in the 
winter of 1807 and 1808 ; during which, in 
some parts or other of the town, he delivered 
lectures, almost every day, from the hearing of 
which I was unavoidably kept through the want 
of health. 

On the first of December 1808, inv sistei 
Gracy died of epilepsy. 

In the Spring of 1809 I composed a vcrsilica 



*>? 



1 ion of David's Lamentation over Saul and Jon- 
athan, and metrical compositions, in the course 
of the year, on several other subjects. 

In the Spring of 1810, my health, on the 
whole, appearing again to be retrograde, I ad- 
dressed a letter to Mr. Daniel Waldo, the presi- 
dent of the Worcester Bank, the reply to which 
is here subjoined : 

Worcester, May 1810. 

Dear Sir — Your letter was delayed on the 
road, or it would have been attended to sooner. 

It bears the post mark, Northampton, May . 

Under cover of this, I send twenty dollars, as 
an evidence of my sympathy under your trials 
and desire to alleviate them. 

I am, Sir, your obedient servant, 

Daniel Waldo. 

On the following Autumn from a desire, if 
possible to regain my health, I left Massachu- 
setts for the South on horseback, about the first 
of October, having taken letters of introduction 
of the Rev. and Hon. Samuel Taggart to the 
Hon. Win, Milnor, Hon. Joseph Nourse, Rev. 
James Lawrie, Rev. Dr. Muir, &c. of Rev. 
John Woodbridge to the Rev. Mr. Humphreys 
of Fairfield, Ct. and of Rev. Samuel Williams 
to Rev. Mr. Porter of Farmington, Ct. who gave 
me a letter to Dea. Nathan Beers, a merchant of 
New Haven, where I passed the Sabbath and 
partook of the Sacrament. It was an interest- 
ing season, and one, I trust, of refreshing to my 
souk On the afternoon of Saturday the deacon 



23 

took me into his carriage ; and as we rode to- 
gether over the city, he stopped several times, 
to allow me an opportunity of a more minute 
survey of some of its charmingly interesting lo- 
calities. 

I had a number of copperplate engravings 
published in a London edition of Bp. Taylor's 
Life of Christ and Cave's Lives of the Apostles ; 
the disposal of one of which, purchased by a la- 
dy between New Haven and New York, repre- 
senting the crowing of the cock* and Peter in 
an attitude of consternation for having denied 
his Lord, I have since regretted. 

I was recommended by Rev. Heman Hum- 
phrey of Fairfield to Rev. Gardiner Spring of 
New York, who gave me a dollar and a letter to 
Mr. Congar of Newark, N. J. His wife was an 
interesting person and appeared to feel very 
deeply the loss of her son, who had, then, but re- 
cently, died, at the institution in Andover, Mass. 

Through the interposition of Rev. William 
Fisher, whose wife was a Bardwell from Go- 
shen, Mass. I was recommended by Rev. Dr. 
Lewis of Greenwich to the Rev. Drs. Keith and 
Hollinshead of Charlestown, S. C. 

After leaving Mr. Congar's of Newark, N. J. 
I called on the Rev. Dr. McDowell of Elizabeth- 
town, whence having crossed the Del ware at 
Trenton, I called, with my letter from the Rev. 
&, Hon. Mr. Taggart, upon the Hon. William 
Milnor, by whom I was recommended to his 

' Rev. Rodolphus Dickinson, in bis version of the Nev 
tament, has rendered the word Watch Trumpet. 



24 

brother James of Philadelphia, and to a mer- 
chant of South second street by the name of Al- 
exander Purvis ; whose hospitalities I shared, 
with the generous proffer of advice and kind of- 
fices, for nearly three weeks. 

From letters addressed to my father, I shall 
here, and subsequently, present the reader with 
occasional extracts. 

Philadelphia, Oct. 22, 1810. 

Honored Parents — Yesterday the services 
of the sanctuary in Market street were conduc- 
ted by the Rev. Dr. Wilson, who preached from 
these words : — " Who of God is made unto us — 
righteousness, sanctification," &c. In the after- 
noon, I heard a discourse, at the Church in Pine 
street, delivered by the Rev. Dr. Alexander from 
these words : " Take away all iniquity; receive us 
graciously," &c. There are no singers station- 
ed in the galleries. Those who are acquainted 
with music sing in their pews in every part of 
the church. Your dutiful son, 

EZEKIEL CHEEVER WHITMAN. 

Philadelphia, Nov. 5, 1810. 
Honored Parents — Yesterday in the fore- 
forenoon, Rev. Dr. Wilson preached from 
John's epistle : " He that doeth righteousness is 
righteous." In the afternoon Mr. Janeway 
from these words : " Vanity of vanites, vanity 
of vanities, saith the preacher, all is vanity." 

Philadelphia, Nov. 7, 1810. 
Honored Parents — In all probability I shall 
leave Philadelphia to day. — The cost of a pas- 



25 

sage in the packets is thirty five dollars—but as 
the accommodations in the Welcome Return are 
less elegant, the expense will be somewhat less 
— besides I was unwilling to wait for a passage 
in the packet which will not probably sail till the 
last of this or the beginning of next week. 

The Hon. Wm. Milnor, Esq. was here yester- 
day. He says that the Delaware at Morrisville 
was frozen over, and that the boys were skating 
on it. 

I have been recommended by Rev. Dr. Green 
of this city to his friends in Charleston, S. C. 

Your dutiful son, E. C. W. 

The letters of the Rev. Dr. were addressed to 
the Rev. Drs. Keith, Hollinshead and Flinn. 

The reason of my taking passage for Charles- 
ton, S. C. was being unable to proceed on horse- 
back. I therefore disposed of my horse at auc- 
tion ; and having waited many days for the ar- 
rival of the regular packet ; I engaged a pas- 
sage in the cabin of a coasting vessel, called the. 
Welcome Return. A gentleman and lady, with 
their children, by the name of Dawson, were 
passengers with me. 

As we dropped down the river, about twenty 
or thirty miles below the city, we took in water 
for our passage. The winds, in the mean time, 
getting ahead, accompanied by fog and a heavy 
mist, we came to anchor ; and Messrs. Dawson 
and others, with their fowling pieces, went 
ashore in quest of game upon the Jersey side. 
We were subsequently detained by the storm 
3 



26 

that followed ; which having ceased, we were 
again under way upon a rough sea with a fine 
breeze. Nothing, afterwards, worthy of special 
notice, occurred on the passage till our arrival 
at Charleston, where I presented my letters of 
introduction to Rev, Drs. Keith, Hollinshead 
and Flinn ; who introduced me to a boarding 
house of a friend of theirs by the name of Dix- 
on. After a residence there of several weeks, 
an application to me was made by James Lowndes 
Esq. to be employed as a teacher in his fam- 
ily to two of his children, for five months. 

Charleston, S. C. Dec. 25, 1S10. 
Honored Parents — I am engaged as a teacher 
in the family of Mr. Lowndes, a respectable 
gentleman of this city and a member of the Le- 
gislature. I expect next Wednesday week to 
accompany him with his family to his country 
seat, where he proposes to continue till the lat- 
ter part of May next. He has engaged at the 
expiration of five months, commencing the first 
of January next, to allow me fifty dollars apiece 
for the tuition of his two children. Your duti- 
ful son, Ezekiel Cheeter Whitman. 

Charleston, S. C. Jan. 2, 1811. 

My dear Parents — There was a little snow here 
on the 3 1st ultimo. I saw, the next day, a num- 
ber of ladies, in the Episcopal church yard, 
throwing snow balls. 

There was a sermon delived yesterday in the 
Archdale church bv the Rev. Dr. Hollinshead 



'4.i 

from 2 Corinthians vi. 2. — Behold now is the 
accepted time, &c. 

Your dutiful son, E. C. W. 

April 25, 1811. 

My dear and honored Parents — Jt is now 
nearly high water — I am in full view of Cam- 
bahee river, upon which Mr. Lowndes is buil- 
ding a Rice Mill. I have been here but a few 
days, and expect to-morrow to go back to 
Lowndesville, or Round O, as it is commonly 
called. I expect, with permission, to be in 
Charleston by the twentieth of next month. 

If it were necessary to entertain you with a 
variety of particulars I could do it — but alas !— 
I have so many calls, my eyes are so weak and 
my health so indifferent, that I can only entreat 
you to accept of such intelligence as time and 
opportunity will, with less trouble, enable me to 
communicate. 

Mr. Lowndes' son Thomas is studying arithme- 
tic. I shall enclose to you a sample of the wri- 
ting of his daughter Mary Amarinthia, who was 
eight years of age the 15th of last month ; and 
who had never written till about the beginning 
of January. 

Mr. Lowndes' brother has an orchard of near- 
ly a thousand orange trees. 

To-day week, I had garden strawberries ; and 
green peas and roast lamb for dinner. 

I was in Charleston about the middle of last 
month, and was honored with a bible, as a pi* 
eiit from the Charleston Bible Society 



28 

My love to my brothers and sister s, and to 
friendly inquirers. Pray for your son. 

EZEKIEL CHEEVER WHITMAN. 

I received twenty dollars in the month of 
March, and the remaining eighty, at the expira- 
tion of the time, in a check upon one of the city 
banks, which was paid in gold. 

Mr. Lowndes had a cotton plantation at a 
place to which they had given the name of 
Lowndesville, but which was more generally 
known by that of Round O ; and a rice planta- 
tion upon the Cambahee river; on the opposite 
side of which resided a planter by the name of 
Barring, who came from England. His brother 
the Hon. William Lowndes, who was several 
years a member of Congress, was, afterwards, 
one of the candidates for the presidency of the 
United States. 

The time of my engagements having ceased ; 
as my health was somewhat improved, and as 
my friends advised me not to venture upon a 
residence there in the summer season ; (though 
a letter received from Mr. Lowndes, the ensu- 
ing Autumn, informed me that the season had 
been one of unusual health, and that any stran- 
ger might have remained in the city 'with per- 
fect safety,) I returned to my father's in Massa- 
chusetts, on the following June. 

The testimonial of Mr. Lowndes, at the time 
1 left, is inserted here. 



29 

Tins is to certify that Mr. Whitman has lived 
about five months in my family, during which 
time he has taught two of my children, and con- 
ducted himself entirely to my satisfaction. 

Jas. Lowndes. 

Charleston, 24th May, 1811. 

My father immediately employed me, during 
the rest of the Summer and a considerable part 
of the ensuing Autumn, in transcribing for him 
the principal part of a volume of Sermons, the 
title of which was, " A Key to the Bible Doc- 
trine of atonement and justification ; or a Plan 
to harmonize the Scriptures of the Old and New 
Testament," in thirty Sermons ; all of which 
originate from Genesis ii. 17. and 1 Peter i. 18, 
19 ; with an Appendix. 

This being finished, and having attended to 
the study of theology a few months, I received 
of the Mountain Association, which met at the 
house of the Rev. Mr. Pomery in Worthington, 
a license to preach, for the term of sixteen 
months; at the expiration of which, I received, 
unasked, a renewal of the same, sine die. 

The Sermon preached, on the morning after 
my examination, by the Rev. Mr. Pomery, was 
from Jeremiah xx. 9. 

I wrote for 1812 and 1813 Addresses for the 
News Carrier of the Hampshire Gazette. 

The discourse I read to the Association was 
the first I wrote, dated at Goshen, Nov. 8, 1811. 
The text was from Acts, xiv. 15. It was ad- 
dressed to a solemn assembly on the following 
3* 



30 

Sabbath, from my father's pulpit. The next 
discourse I wrote was from Epkesians ii. 1. 

which was, also, addressed to the people under 
the pastoral care of my father in Goshen, on the 
second Sabbath from the first Tuesday in Feb- 
ruary. These discourses were delivered in 
Hadley, on the third Sabbath in February, in 
the pulpit of the Rev. John Woodbridge, a class- 
mate of mine, at Williams college. The last of 
them was addressed, in the Summer following, 
to the people in Worcester, under the pastoral 
care of the Rev. Dr. Austin ; and on the morn- 
ing of one of the Sabbaths in May, 1813, to the 
First Congregational Society in Northampton. 
My discourse in the afternoon was from 2 Kings 
v. 20 — 27. The third discourse I wrote was at 
the particular request of Mr. William Hallock, 
the grandfather of the Secretary of the Ameri- 
can Tract Society, from Genesis xxvii. 2. It was 
heard by an attentive audience convened at his 
house in Goshen, Mass. April, 1612. 

During a period of several months after my 
return from South Carolina, my mind was more- 
prompt and active for the investigation of any 
subject that might have been brought within the 
compass of its grasp, than at any former or subse- 
quent period. But I was still feeble ; and being 
put forward faster than I ought to have been, 
under the influence, perhaps, (though I date 
not say, for I do not know that it was) of covet- 
ousness, my constitution was overacted ; the re- 
sult of which to body and mind fcras a eerioi^ 
?viL And if a union :. dignity rith sprightli- 



31 

ness and ease of communication would, perhaps, 
have, else, been, in due time, developed ; is it at 
all to be wondered at, that by efforts too arduous 
for habits of unwonted debility and seclusion 
from the world, it was, nevertheless, prevented 
and nipped in the bud ? 

In 1S13 I got subscription papers printed at 
Boston for " Whitman's Key." I called upon 
the Rev. Dr. Griffin, who subscribed for the 
" Key," and for whom I preached. I obtained 
also a few other subscribers in Boston and vicin- 
ity : — travelled Southerly as far as Taunton, and 
Northerly as far as Keene, N. H. and obtained 
in all about fifty subscribers, at two dollars each, 
ni addition to the subscribers obtained by my 
lather, on papers printed at Northampton by his 
direction. 

In 1814 I carried the manuscript to Boston 
and corrected the sheets as they came from the 
press. One hundred copies of the work were 
sent to Concord to be bound. I took about thir- 
ty of them to dispose of to subscribers — passed 
the Sabbath at Concord, and preached, A. M. 
and P. M. for the Rev. Dr. Ripley. 

While in Boston at that time, I had printed a 
Prospectus for Lectures on Scripture Facts, by 
the Rev. William Bengo Collver, D. D. 

In 1815 I obtained for the work a few r sub- 
scribers in Goshen and vicinity ; after which 1 
rode as far as Burlington, Vt. to procure sub- 
scriptions. 

In the coiu^c of this journey 1 called upon 
the L iarsh of Bennington, IV 



3*2 

gill of Manchester, Hovey of Weybridge, Presi- 
dent Davis and others of Middlebury, and Pom- 
ery of Salisbury ; at whose request I wrote the 
Hymn that was sung in the meeting house, 
which had recenly been finished in that place. 
The Dedication Sermon was delivered by the 
Rev. Josiah Hopkins of New Haven, on whom 
I had called at a previous time. I called also 

upon the Rev. Mr. of Burlington, whose 

name I forget, though he gave me a sermon he 
had recently published — the Rev. Mr. Austin 
who had just accepted the presidency of the col- 
lege there — the Rev. Mr. Haynes of Rutland, 
for whom I preached — the Rev. Messrs. Par- 
sons of Pittsfield, the father of the missionary to 
Palestine, who died in Egypt — Fowler of Wind- 
sor, Professor Shurtliff of Dartmouth college, 
and Sage of Westminster and others whose 
names I do not now recollect. But the sub- 
scriptions obtained not being sufficient to war- 
rant a republication, I bought of Mr. Armstrong 
the number of copies required for the supply of 
those who had signed for the work. 

Finding the application required in writing 
and the exercise of speaking in public, injurious 
to my health; in the Autumn of 1 SIT, with 
letters of introduction from the Rev. Dr. Lyman 
and others, I commenced, again, a journey for 
the South, on horseback. Contrary to my in- 
tentions I yielded to the importunity of friends, 
and preached at Longmeadow for Rev. Mr. 
Storrs— at Greenwich, Ct. for Rev. Dr. Lewis— 
and at Philadelphia for the Rev. Dr. J. J. Jane- 
way, from Job xiv. 1. 



S3 

From New York I addressed a few lines to 
my parents. 

New York, Dec. 9, 1817. 

My dear Parents — Saturday morning, Nov. 
29, I went from Belchertown, and put up in the 
evening with Mr. Storrs of Longmeadow, who 
urged me, on the next day, so much, that en- 
tirely contrary to my intentions, I preached for 
him in the afternoon. Monday I went on to 
Hartford. Tuesday I proceeded to Wethers- 
field and called on the Rev. Dr. Chapin — the 
afternoon was rainy. Wednesday 1 travelled 
almost to New Haven, and put up at a tavern. 
On Thursday I arrived at Fairfield, and took 
supper, breakfast and lodging at the Hon. Mr. 
Sherman's, where I was received and treated 
with great attention and kindness. 

It is with peculiar emotions that I call to re- 
membrance the fortitude he manifested under 
the severe trial with which he was visited in the 
affliction of two of his sons, who were twins of 
the age of eighteen, with fits of epilepsy. The 
effect upon his wife appeared to be such that I 
thought it not probable, she would long survive. 

Friday I called upon the Rev. Wm. Fisher 
and tarried over night. On Saturday I proceed- 
ed to West Greenwich, and the Rev. Dr. Lew- 
is, with whom I spent the Sabbath, persuaded 
me to preach for him. In the evening he ob- 
served to his wife, who was indisposed, that had 
she attended the public services of the sanctua- 
ry she would have heard two good sermons. 
One of them was from Psalms cxxxvii. 5. 6, 



34 

Soon after I entered New York a little girl 
cried out, " That's the horse tor me."' 

On ray way to Philadelphia I called at New- 
ark, on the Rev. Dr. Richards and took letters. 
At Princeton I presented a note of introduction 
from the Rev. Dr. Lyman to the Rev. Dr. 
Green, who gave me a dollar, and an introduc- 
tion to the Rev. Dr. Janeway, by whom I was 
received with fraternal attention and christian 
courtesy. And after returning from the servi- 
ces of the Sabbath, he put into my hands a gold 
half eagle ; and on Monday morning he return- 
ed the letter from the Rev. Dr. Green, with his 
signature to a note he wrote upon the inside, to 
introduce me to the Rev. Dr. Cathcart of York, 
Pa. Rev. Dr. Inglis of Baltimore, and such oth- 
ers as I might think proper to present it — of 
which the following is a copy : 

Princeton, Dec. 18, 1817. 

Rev. and dear Sir — The bearer of this, Mr. 
Ezekiel Cheever Whitman, is a licentiate of one 
of the associations of Massachusetts. He is in 
slender health, — is travelling South ; and his pe- 
cuniary circumstances are quite low. And per- 
haps you will recollect, as I do, that he was at 
Philadelphia in the Autumn of 1810, lodged 
at my house, and was assisted in going to 
Charleston, S. C. lie was not then a preacher. 
It appears that he gave satisfaction in Charles- 
ton as a teacher — returned to the East, and has 
since become a preacher. I think him to be a . 
pious worthy man. And his father is a minis- 



35 

ter of established reputation. Any acts of kind- 
ness or hospitality which you may think proper 
to show him, will be thankfully received and 
gratefully acknowledged by your friend and 
brother in the fellowship of the Gospel. 

Geo. Greex. 
Rev. Dr. J. J. Janeway, Philadelphia. 

At York, Pa, where I passed the Sabbath I 
preached in the evening for the Rev. Dr. Cath- 
car t — examined his son in Caesar's Commenta- 
ries ; and was offered six hundred dollars as a 
teacher in the Greek and Latin languages in a 
school in that city. But the teacher in that de- 
partment having but just left, on account of the 
disrespect exhibited towards him by individuals 
of Philadelphia ; for this and other reasons, I 
declined the offer. 

I was recommended by this gentleman to the 
Rev. Mr. Hunter of Washington, D. C. And 
as I made but slow progress ; notwithstanding 
the assistance I received of Rev. Dr. Jane way, 
when I arrived at Baltimore on the first of Jan. 
1S18, being out of money I made known my sit- 
uation, and presented letters to the Rev. Dr. In- 
glis, who handed me five silver dollars — observ- 
ing that travelling in steam boats, &c. was 
cheaper and more pleasant. 

It may be proper here, to present the reader 
extracts of a letter dated, 

Alexandria, D. C. 8th Jan. 1818. 
Dear and honored Parents — Last Thursday 
morning I called on the Rev. Dr. Inglis, and to- 



m 

gether with letters, presented him one of my 
sermons. He, in part, perused it, very hastily- 
said it appeared to be written in a pleasing style 
— and that if I had any copies to spare, he wish- 
ed to have one. I desired him to keep the one 
he had — which he did ; and finding me in want 
of money, he handed me five dollars to be re- 
placed hereafter if convenient — and if not, he 
said it was of no consequence. I then went to 
the post office to see if any letter from Goshen 
had been sent there, but found none. I then 
called for my horse and travelled on till fatigue 
and the approach of night compelled me to put 
up at an inn, where for want of sufficient cloth- 
ing I took cold. I stopped the next day at an 
inn, in Washington city ; of the bill of which I 
will give you a copy : 

Indian Queen Hotel, Washington city, 

Mr. Whitman, 1818, to John Davis Dr. 

Jan, 2. To supper and lodging, 8 1,00 

Jan. 3. To breakfast and dinner, 1,75 

Jan. 7. Horsefeed, 5,00 



7, 4 



Albeit, as I did not dine, as they supposed, a 
deduction was made of one dollar. The next 
morning I called on the Rev. Mr. Hunter, with 
whom I tarried till yesterday. While there I 
visited the President's mansion — went with him 
to the building occupied by Congress, the Cap- 
itol not being completed — heard him preach to 
the marines — and accompanied him to the Navy 



37 

Yard. He also befriended me, by presenting 
my letters of introduction to the Hon. Messrs. 
Ashmun, Allen, Dagget, Whitman and others, 
who contributed in aid of my necessities about 
forty dollars. He very politely, moreover, in- 
troduced me to Hon. Judge Bayard of Prince- 
ton, N. J. who saw me again at Alexandria, and 
informed me that after I left Washington seve- 
ral members of Congress calied at my lodgings 
to help me to more money. The Lord in mer- 
cy provide a place where I may do good and en- 
joy good ; and may the prayers of my parents 
and friends prevail on my behalf. 

EZEKIEL CHEEVER WHITMAN. 

The silver numieg-grater, on the case of 
which was written E. Gill, the second wife of 
my great grandfather Hon. Ezekiel Cheever, I 
left with the lady of the Rev. Mr. Hunter, for 
her maternal attentions, and the many offices of 
kindness conferred by her husband. 

A young clergyman by the name of Harrison, 
who boarded at the Rev. Dr. Muir's, gave me 
twenty-five dollars, the Rev. Dr. Muir eight 
dollars, — and the Rev. W. C. Walton, who has 
written several sermons for the National Preach- 
er, a letter of introduction to a gentleman in 
Virginia, by the name of Josiah Smith ; the ob- 
ject of which being superseded by his having 
obtained a teacher before my arrival ; it re- 
mains in my possession, of which the following 
is a copy : — 

4 



38 

Alexandria, Jan. 10, 1818, 

Dear Sir — Our presbytery met at this place, 
on yesterday, for the purpose of ordaining Mr, 
Andrews pastor of the second presbyterian 
Church. His situation, I think, promises much 
usefulness, and I trust, he is disposed to make 
the best of it. There has been much dissen- 
sion here ; but it is fast dying away. The pros- 
pects of religion in this district, are not, at pres- 
ent, very flattering. There is a lamentable de- 
ficency of zeal among the clergy of Baltimore 
presbytery generally. Alas ! who has not cause 
to lament his coldness ? We are engaged in 
the best of causes, and yet we often act as if the 
interests at stake were of little or no importance. 
O ! that times of refreshing may come from the 
presence of the Lord ! 

My principal object in writing to you at pres- 
ent, is to recommend to your attention Rev. Mr. 
Whitman, a young gentleman from New Eng- 
land. He is in bad health, and cannot preach. 
He, therefore, wishes to be employed as a teach- 
er in a private family. He comes recommend- 
ed from some respectable clergymen, and I pre- 
sume he is capable of making a good teacher, 
I therefore thought proper to give him an intro- 
duction to you, thinking it probable that you 
want a teacher. With my best respects to Mrs. 
Smith and family, and to all other friends in 
your neighborhood, 

I remain your sincere friend, 

W. C. Walton, 



39 

Additional extracts of a letter commenced at 
Alexandria. 

Occaquan Mills, Va. 13th Jan. 1818. 
My dear Parents — I have been very unwell 
for the fortnight past. — There was a fall of snow 
last night of two or three inches — and to-day it 
looks like Winter. It is very cold : — But the 
20th, 21st and 22d at Philadelphia were still col- 
der. My bill at the inn here, as you will see be- 
low, varies but little from the one at Washing- 
ton. 

Supper and lodging, 80,75 

Breakfast, dinner and supper, 1,75 

Lodging and breakfast, 75 

Hay and oats, 1,84 



5,09 



Concluding extracts of a letter commenced at 
Alexandria. 

Stafford Court House, 15th Jan. 1818. 

My dear Parents — My expenses from Goshen 
to Washington were thirty-four dollars — and 
from Washington to this, Stafford, C. H. more 
than thirty. 

After leaving Alexandria on Monday last, I 
passed at a little distance, on the left the epis- 
copal Church where it is said, the venerable 
Washington had been used to worship under 
the pastoral care of the Rev. Mr. Weems. 

EZEKIEL CllEEVLR WHITMAN 



40 

I saw'nothing afterwards of special notoriety 
till I came to Fredericksburgh, where I was re- 
commended to the Rev. Mr. Wilson ; — who in- 
troduced me to D. Grinnan, Esq. under whose 
roof I enjoyed the characteristic hospitality of a 
citizen of the South ; and found, for a few days, 
the repose and endearments of a quiet home. 

Mention was made in a course of conversa- 
tion with this gentleman of his having been in 
Boston on business with a gentleman by the 
name of Codman, the father of the Rev. Dr. 
Codman of Dorchester, Mass. and though board- 
ing at $10,00 per week, being unwell, he re- 
quested instead of his accustomed coffee, some 
toast-water, which was not to be had. 

The Rev. gentleman, just mentioned, enter- 
tained us on the Sabbath with an exposition and 
desultory observations on the fourteenth chapter 
of Genesis, in a manner somewhat novel, and to 
me, at least, extremely interesting. He had a 
school of young ladies who boarded with him. 
And living without ostentation, in a plain and 
cheap manner, it makes me think of the Rev. 
Moses Hallock of Plainfield, Mass. 

I saw, also, in that city, a gentleman, to 
whom, at his request, (though I forget his name) 
I gave letters of introduction to acquaintances 
of mine in Connecticut and Massachusetts, 
whither, as he said, he was going with his son, 
in the hope that the volatility of his youth, and 
the liberties he took in a Southern city, would, 
in a land of steady habits, be measurably correc- 
ted, by a stricter course of education and disci- 
pline. 



41 

From Fredericksburgh I proceeded to the ci- 
ty of Richmond, where I called upon the Rev. 
Matthew Rice to whom I had letters of intro- 
duction. I heard him preach, on the Sabbath — 
and saw a letter, which I heard him read, from 
the Rev. Dr. Chalmers of Edinburgh. 

I heard, also, the Rev. Bishop who performed 
Divine service at the episcopal Church erected 
on the ruins of the theatre, in the conflagration 
of which, so many of the votaries of wealth and 
fashion in that city, in a sudden and awful man- 
ner, were called away to their final account. 

My course from Richmond was to the city of 
Petersburgh, with letters from the Rev. Mat- 
thew Rice of the former city, to his brother the 
Rev. Dr. John Rice, a gentleman of deportment 
peculiarly interesting, — and also, to a planter, a 
few miles from the city, by the name of Baird, 
with whom 1 engaged as an instructor to his 
children, at $250 for ten months. One of his 
sons, who was addicted, in infancy, to holding 
his breath, for which reason, his parents having 
indulged him more than the rest of the children, 
was difficult to govern ; on account of which, in 
less than two weeks, I took a dismission, and 
opened a grog-shop — bought blankets and slept 
in them — drank water — and expended for food 
but a mere trifle — having purchased a few arti- 
cles and a barrel of whiskey, which I returned 
in a few days, being disgusted with the custom- 
ers who came to buy. 

I did not, however, design to curtail myself 
from any article of diet, which, on account of 



42 

my health, was evidently requisite. And in a 
city like Peterborough, I could get any thing 
at any time, that I really needed, at a cheaper 
rate than I could board out. I therefore pur- 
chased a quarter of a pound of gunpowder tea, 
a dozen of crackers, a pound of sugar, and a 
peck of dried apples ; most of which, the little 
time I was there, having, scarcely, if at all be- 
gun to use, I took with me to where I made the 
next stop. 

Prior to this, having sold my horse to Mr. 
Baird, I took the stage at Petersburg!! for the 
South at midnight, and having travelled to War- 
renton, N. C. I engaged as an assistant in the 
academy, of which the Rev. C. A. Hill, of the 
methodist connexion, was principal. After day- 
light appeared, I felt in my pocket for my spec- 
tacles, for which I paid seven dollars in Boston ; 
but they were not to be found. 

Warrenton, N. C. 14th March, 1818. 

Honored Parents — I am more than pennyless^ 
at least I was thinking so ; but I was mistaken ; 
I have six cents in my pocket, besides a few 
cents which I received the other day in advance 
for services in this place. I expect to send to 
Peterborough, Ya. next week ; and if there are 
no letters there for me I shall be disappointed. 

There is more sobriety and less noise in the 
academy, now, than when I, at first, engaged as 
an assistant teacher. 

Packages for me addressed to the care of Ww. 
Woodward & Co. or Thos. Bennet <k Co. Pe= 



43 

tersborough, Va. I can get at any time. — Pray 
for your son, E. Cheever Whitman. 

Extract of a letter dated at Warrenton, N. C. 
21st May, 1818. 

Honored Parents — I have taken my pen to 
write whatever I may happen to think of: — And 
my letter, of course, will be a motley mixture of 
any thing and every thing. 

Mr. Baird of Petersburgh, Va. was to give me 
$250 for ten months ; — and now, I am to re- 
ceive SI 10 only, for nine months. 

After I thought myself established at Peters- 
burgh, I got a coat and pantaloons made of the 
cloth I carried with me ; and being spun by my 
sisters, I prize it highly. I gave eleven dollars 
for the making of the coat and trimmings, and 
three for the pantaloons. 

After leaving Mr. Baird' s I was so disheart- 
ened and worn out with his turbulent boys ; and 
my nerves were so strained and overdone by go- 
ing from place to place and the fatigue of a long 
journey ; that I engaged the rent of a small shop 
near the city Hotel, for three months, which in 
a few days I became sick of; and after making 
several purchases for the purpose of keeping a 
grocery, I got let off for a few dollars, and quit- 
ted the premises. The shop was well situated 
for business ; and if I had had two or three 
hundred dollars only to begin with, 1 think I 
should have done well there. To add to my ca- 
lamity after leaving Petersburgh, I saw nothing 
more of my spectacles. 



44 

The espiscopal church in Richmond, Va. 
where the theatre stood, is an elegant building. 
Tt is built of brick. It is projected back of the 
pulpit in the form of a semicircle, and painted 
to imitate curling volumes of smoke and fire in 
a building under the power of that element. At 
the bottom of this semicircular projection, or con- 
cavity, perhaps some would call it, are written 
the Ten Commandments : and over the pulpit 
in golden letters, Give ear, O Lord. 

The people in Fredericksburgh, Va. were 
very earnest with me to apply to some one to 
come and settle among them, to teach vocal mu- 
sic. One acquainted with business in the me- 
chanical line would be preferred. If Burgh, 

Esq. of Southampton, wishes to inform himself, 
let him write to D. Grinnan, Esq. of Freder- 
icksburgh, Va. 

The principal of this academy, Rev. C. A. 
Hill, is a Wesleyan methodist. He preached 
yesterday, (Sunday, May 24) from these words : 
" Quench not the Spirit." • Soon after service 
commenced, the misses of the Female Academy, 
about 120 in number, from 6 to 16, conducted 
by their preceptress, in a very orderly manner 
came into the meeting house and took their 
seats. 

I sleep in the academy where I am now writ- 
ing. The library and philosophical apparatus 
are kept in my room. — Mr. Hill invited me to 
preach for him yesterday ; (he thanks you for 
your book) but the exercises of the week are 
more than equal to my strength, 



45 

I waul very much that Polly should write : 
will you not my dear sister ? Let me know 
about sister Betsey and her little son John. 
Remember, me in your prayers. 

E. Cheever Whitman. 

There was a small closet with a lock on it, 
the key of which was consigned to me, in the 
room I occupied in the academy, in which I 
kept my tea and sugar and crackers and dried 
apples, which, when needed, I stewed by my 
own fire ; and when more unwell than usual or 
greatly fatigued by the labors of the day, I took 
tea by myself in my room, instead of supping in 
the house with the rest of the boarders. A tea- 
cup and saucer, and tin pint measure in which I 
boiled my water, I bought at Mr. Geo. Ander- 
son's. 

One day, after having used up the last of my 
dried apples, being quite indisposed, I requested 
of Mrs. Hill some stewed apple, or peach, or 
preserves of some kind, which w T ith some warm 
biscuit she readily got and set 'before me. In 
about a fortnight after my request for a like fa- 
vor was preferred again, but without avail. I 
was, therefore, under the necessity of purchas- 
ing prunes of Mrs. Falkener at 50 cents per 
pound. I requested also the favor of a wine 
glass or two of new milk every morning. Mrs. 
Hill replied that they had no more milk than 
was needed in the family — that in a fortnight 
from that time they should have the additional 
milk of two cows ; and that then I might have 



46 

as much milk as I wanted. I waited with pa- 
tience till the fortnight expired, and when the 
cows came I renewed my request, which was 
granted for about a week, when, one morning, 
having come for my milk ; " Won't night's milk 
do ¥' says Mrs. Hill, " we don't have in the 
morning, but about this mug full" — holding up 
a pitcher that held about three pints. The fa- 
vor desired was not therefore entreated of them 
any more. What was said, in Virgil, about 
New Milk, was, nevertheless, ever and anon, re- 
curring to my mind — 

Lac mihi non aestate novum, nee frigore desit. 

About the beginning of June my health had 
begun to decline, between which and the mid- 
dle of the month I was requested by Mr. Hill to 
take a dismission from his services ; to which, 
with reluctance, my privations, notwithstanding, 
on account of the hope I yet indulged of being 
recruited during the vacation about to com- 
mence, I, finally, consented. The testimonials 
he gave me at the time of my dismission are 
mislaid or lost.' He had signified, but a day or 
two before, that, if I chose, I should be at liber- 
ty of remaining at his house until the com- 
mencement of the ensuing term. And being 
reminded of his intention to pass the vacation 
with his wife at Raleigh and Chapel Hill ; 
" That," he said, " would make no odds" — And 
as Willy CXrter, Archer Jones, Francis Scott and 
John W. Potts were there, I was of the same 
mind. But when he was about to take his de- 



47 

parture, he observed to me, if you stay here, 
Miss Aggy, (Aggith Paschal an old maid) says 
she won't stay, and that therefore I must leave 
the house : — for, " it was necessary, not, only, 
that her character be good, but, that, like Cae- 
sar's wife it be free from suspicion." 

Taking, therefore, my leave of Mr. Hill, I 
contracted with Mr. Drake for board in his fam- 
ily at 810,00 per month. I had been there but 
a few days, when a lady near by, knowing me 
to be fond of fruit, sent me in some cherries. 
I took daily about a half pint of new milk, 
which in addition to a few gills of the mineral 
water was my only beverage ; — for though tea 
was served upon the table, I never drank any. 
By means of the new milk and mineral waters I 
gained in flesh and had boils come out in almost 
every part of my body. My convalescence was, 
subsequently, interrupted, by fatigue and expo- 
sure to the extreme heat, being seized in conse- 
quence, with the bowel complaint. 

One day, having shared in company with sev- 
eral of the neighbors who happened to be pres- 
ent in some water melon that was sliced up and 
served round ; I was intending to purchase a 
water melon, myself, and reciprocate the civili- 
ties they had shown me as one of their party : 
The market, whither I went, for this purpose, 
being near by, I returned in a few minutes, ob- 
serving, that, as there w T ere no water melons to be 
had in market for less than twenty-five cents, I 
thought on the whole, it was inexpedient for me 
to buy any. " What's a quarter of a dollar to 



48 

you," interrupted Mrs. Drake, " I shouldn't 
think a quarter of a dollar would be much in 
your pocket, especially if you had the worth of 
it." T observed, that I thought that a quarter 
of a dollar must be something to her, if it wasn't 
to me, by her sending her sons, Edwin and 
Joseph, to dun me in the street for the three 
quarters of a dollar demanded of me for the 
hemming of three cravats, at the very time, too, 
a daughter of theirs (of eight or nine years, who 
died of tetanus) was being carried to the grave. 

Her husband, on his return from Petersburgh, 
being informed of what had passed, embraced 
an early opportunity of signifying to me his un- 
willingness that I should be a boarder with them 
any longer. The time I was there was between 
two and three months. 

I walked out, therefore, that evening, and 
seeing Mr. Person, who, had come to town to 
attend a meeting of the Masonic Lodge, I in- 
quired to know if I could come there to board. 
He replied, that he was not in the habit of tak- 
ing boarders ; but, if I chose, I might come 
and stay there a week or ten days ; and request- 
ing to know what he should ask ; his reply was, 
" Nothing but your good will." Accordingly 
the next morning Mr. Withers, the silversmith 
very obligingly took me into his carriage and 
conveyed me to his dwelling ; where, instead of 
ten days, I was entertained, gratuitously, about 
three weeks. 

One evening, as T was sitting with Mr. Person, 
" I don't see," said he, as your country has much 



49 

reason to boast of being the land of steady hab- 
its ; we have evidence enough of their fickleness 
and instability ; I believe, after all, they are a 

d d Jacobinical set. Mention being made 

of the political revolution in Connecticut, I re- 
marked : That I thought it probably owing to 
the rigid and overbearing policy of the Federal- 
ists in restricting certain favors to the prevailing 
denomination of Christians — that the Episcopa- 
lians accused them of being partial in the adminis- 
tration of government, and of not allowing them 
their just due. To this he replied, That he con- 
sidered Church government the most tyrannical 
in the world ; and that he would as soon be in 
hell, at once, as be under church government. 

After leaving Mr. Person's, I boarded a month 
and one week at Gen. Jno. W. Hawkins, for my 
w r atch, appraised by Mr. Cooke, the watch ma- 
ker and jeweller, at twenty dollars, and five dol- 
lars in cash. 

Towards the close of the time of my boarding 
at Gen. Hawkins, his brother Col. Hawkins was 
there, on Thursday, and offered me two hun- 
dred dollars a year, if I would engage as an in- 
structer in his family to four little children. 
" You can live," said he, " at your ease one year, 
and we shan't know whether you know any 
thing or not. I think," he continued, " it will 
be the best thing you ever did in your life." 
Having written, a few days before, by Gen. 
Dickinson, who was there from Hertford county, 
to Dr. Bardwell, I gave him to understand I 
would let him know in sixteen or seventeen days 
5 



50 

at farthest. "Well," said he, "if in the 
course of that time an opportunity of doing bet- 
ter should be presented, you will be free to em- 
brace it, and if not you will still have the privi- 
lege of acceding to my wishes." 

Gen. Hawkins had been very sick for some 
days, for which reason his brother, Col. Hawk- 
ins, being there, again, the next Tuesday ; I in- 
quired to know what I had to depend on in re- 
gard to their living ; and on being informed that 
it consisted chiefly of corn bread and bacon ; I 
gave him to understand that the proposals he 
had made me, I should be unable to accept. 

On the following Monday a Connecticut ped- 
dlar was there with dry goods, and staid several 
days. Col. Hawkins being there, again, observ- 
ed in his presence, that the best thing for me 
would be to get me a mule and a wagon and set 
me to work — that he would give me a gill of 
brandy in the morning, breakfast at eleven 
o'clock, two or three pints of cider in the after- 
noon, and dinner at night — that by eleven o'clock 
I should be hungry enough to bite a bit of bacon. 
Then turning to the Connecticut pedlar : " Don't 
you think," said he, " that that would bring him 
to an appetite ;" " If he did not break down," 
he replied. "O he wouldn't break down," 
said the Col. " no danger of that." 

For some months past, I had been, and still 
continued to be drinking, daily, a few gills of 
the mineral waters with such surprising advan- 
tage to my health as was exceedingly manifest 
to every beholder ; and as, under God, I trust 



51 

has been a means of prolonging my life to the 
present time. And to human appearance, it 
would have seemed as though there was nothing 
in the way of restoration to the enjoyment o' 
firm health. But the fact was this, that when 
its improved state was so apparent to all as to 
be undeniable, a spirit of envy had begun to be 
manifested, by which, the village, eventually, 
was leavened to such a degree, that I was una- 
ble, at any price, to procure a shelter for a sin- 
gle day, or lodging for a single night in any of 
their dwellings ! Although, in the mean time, 
the show men and stage players had been at Gen. 
Hawkins performing their feats, and had pocket- 
ed money obtained of the people to a large 
amount. 

The occasion of this last unaccountable ex- 
citement was my announcing, publicly, in a dis- 
course delivered a few days before in the Meth- 
odist Chapel, the entire expenditure of my means 
of support. My doing so, however, was not alto- 
gether in vain ; for there were present to hear 
me, nearly all the students belonging to the 
academy, together with about a hundred and 
twenty Misses of the Female Seminary, of which 
Mr. Mordecai, a Jew, was superintendent, who 
gave me five dollars. Mr. Geo. Anderson, also, 
a respectable merchant in the village, manifest- 
ed his kindness by giving me three dollars. 1 
am, moreover, indebted for repeated favors re- 
ceived of Judge Hall, who lived a little out of 
the village. 



52 

This spirit of envy had, also, so fastened itself 
upon a young man who lived with Gen. Hawk- 
ins, and with whom I slept, that he crowded me 
out of bed, bracing himself with his head in one 
corner and his feet in the other ; in consequence 
of which, I was afterwards furnished with a bed 
by myself. His name was Billy Henry Mar- 
shall. He observed, one evening, " How T proud 
poor people are getting to be in these days ; I 
did not think, two or three years ago, that I 
could afford to wear broadcloth, holding up his 
arm to the candle, that the bystanders might see 
the quality of his coat. I observed that my coat 
was homemade. He, however, in all probabili- 
ty, supposed it to be broadcloth ; and doubtless in- 
tended the cut of his remark in application to 
me. But, alas ! the General, himself, was af- 
terwards brought under the influence of the self 
same spirit ; and if living, can testify, if he will, 
to what I have asserted, and that he utterly re- 
fused to allow me a lodging in his house for a 
single night. A request to be boarded a few 
days at Dr. Gloster's was, also, denied me. 

I engaged, therefore, a passage in the stage 
which I took at midnight to go to Louisburgh ; 
where, on my arrival the next morning before 
breakfast, I called upon Mr. Bobbit the teacher 
of the academy, whose wife was a Partridge 
from Massachusetts, of whom I borrowed the 
sum of fifteen dollars ; the payment of which, I 
regret to say, has never been cancelled. 



53 

Extracts of Letters. 

Warrenton, N. C. 18th June, 1818. 

Honored parents — Pray without ceasing : and 
may your prayers prevail abundantly on my be- 
half. My feeble frame has sunk under the 
pressure of services assigned me in this place : 
And now I am forced to quit whether I choose 
it or not. I know not what to do. I have had 
thoughts of returning home. The Lord enable 
me to conduct wisely and prudently ; and may 
the path of duty be plain before me. 

Remember me in your prayers. Your afflic- 
ted son, E. Cheever Whitman. 

Warrenton, N. C. 6th Aug. 1818. 

Honored parents — Last Monday I received 
your letter of the '23d June. I received one of 
brother Stephen West at the same time. I have 
written to him. I perceive that you are dis- 
missed. Well — It is the Lord ; let Him do 
what seemeth Him good. 

Your name has been entered upon the list of 
the Society for propagating the Gospel among 
the Indians, <Scc. I see no reason why you 
might not get a mission from that quarter. 

I would willingly submit to temporary evil, if 
the sacrifice would purchase health. But I was 
completely worn out when I left Mr. Hill. 1 
recruited very fast since, till I was taken with 
the bowel complaint, which reduced me very 
much. I am, nevertheless, getting better again. 
Prav for vour son, E. Cheever Whitman 



54 

Extract of a letter from Rev. C. A. Hill to 
my father. 

Warrenton, N. C. 15th Aug. 1818. 

Rev. and dear Sir — Your son has, no doubt, 
informed you of the manner of our acquaint- 
ance. I most sanguinely hoped to have been 
able to render him some services, from my situ- 
ation as superintendent and principal of the 
academy of this place ; and with that view I re- 
ceived him as an assistant. After four months 
trial I saw that his debility was increased by his 
labors, and thus his energies were more and more 
paralized daily, and he consequently less qualified 
for his station : for in this warm clime, the in- 
structor of youth must not only have the ener- 
gies of his mind engaged, but those of his body 
also. Therefore without any objections except 
those which grew out of my friend EzekiePs 
debilitated state of body, I judged it my duty to 
discontinue his services. I wish you, my dear 
Sir, expressly to understand, that while he w T as 
a member of my family and since, I discovered 
nothing in his conduct, which incurred my dis- 
pleasure ; and had the situation of his health 
permitted me to believe that he could have per- 
performed the increased duties, w r hich the in- 
creased number of students required, I would 
willingly have retained him. 

By the last night's mail I received (of your 
Vol. of Sermons) the packet, which contained 
to the appendix, and shall immediately have the 
whole bound. 



55 

With a fervent prayer that your labors may 
be blessed to the promotion of truth, and for 
your own happiness, present and eternal, permit 
me to subscribe myself your much obliged and 
very humble servant, and fellow-laborer. 

C. A. Hill. 

Rev. Samuel Whitman, Goshen, Mass. 

Extract of a letter dated, 

Warrenton, N. C. 29th Sept. 1818. 

Honored Parents — Yours of the 5th inst. has 
just come to hand, — I have heard from Dr. 
Bardwell — He is well and wishes me to come 
and see him. — I shall leave Warrenton the lat- 
ter part of next month. — I have left Mr. Drake's 
and am boarding with Gen. Jno. W. Hawkins, 
who keeps a public house in this place. To-day 
is the tenth day I came here to board. I am to 
give him my watch, which is richly worth twen- 
ty-five dollars, for a month's board — washing is 
not included. 

I accidentally saw Rev. Mr. Kollock of Ox- 
ford, about thirty miles from here, brother, as I 
understood, of the celebrated Rev. Dr. Kollock 
of Savannah, Georgia. He was in company 
with the Rev. Dr. McDowell of Elizabethtown, 
N. J. — When I leave this I shall try, by some 
means or other, to get there, or I shall take the 
stage to Louisburg. If my resources were suf- 
ficient to carry me to Dr. Bardwell's, I would 
go there first. I have a great many things to 
tell you ; and as soon as I can make it conven- 



56 

lent 1 intend to write you a very long letter. — I 
am glad that mother is not discouraged. 

I continue here, on account of the mineral 
waters at a little distance, in the hope of regain- 
ing my health ; otherwise my continuance here 
and my employment in the academy would have 
ended together. I was compelled to leave Mr. 
Drake's — but Providence seemed in a very 
striking manner to interpose in my favor. 

E. Cheever Whitman. 

Louisburgh, N. C. 28th Oct. 1818. 

Honored Parents — I left Warrenton at mid- 
night and arrived here just as the day was be- 
ginning to dawn. The Sabbath previous to my 
leaving Warrenton I told Mr. if he would open 
to me the doors of the Methodist meeting-house 
I would preach. Till about this time I had not 
felt able to preach, since the severe cold I took 
the night after I left Baltimore. My wishes 
were gratified. More than a hundred Misses 
from the Female Seminary attended, and part 
of Mr. Hill's school, and some of the town's 
people. At that time I had not a cent in the 
world, and I owed the wash-w T oman, and for 
prunes at the confectionary. I preached from 
1 Corinthians ii. 2. 

In describing the character of Christ, as the 
Son of man who had not w 7 here to lay his head, 
I repeated with astonishment ; Not where to lay 
his head I And was this the Son of the High- 
est by whom and for whom all things were cre- 
ated visible and invisible whether they be 



57 

thrones or dominions, principalities or powers ; 
whom angels and archangels regard with rever- 
ence, and whose delightful employment it is 
continually to do him homage ; yet, neverthe- 
less, who had not where to lay his head ! Such 
also is the condition of him who is now address- 
ing you, and who comes to you to-day as an am- 
bassador of this same Jesus of Nazareth to de- 
clare to you in his name the good word of salva- 
tion. Verily he has not where to lay his head. 
Neither has he a cent in the w T orld to purchase 
him a shelter in any apartment of your ample 
habitations. And is this at all to be wondered at ? 
Surely not. The servant is not greater than 
his Lord. And there was a time when he, by 
whom God will judge the world in righteousness, 
was despised and rejected of men, and had not 
where to lay his head. Yes, brethren, he him- 
self affirms he had not where to lay his head. 
For though he was rich, yet such was his love 
to the family of man that he came down from 
heaven and became poor. And in the form of 
a servant he went about healing the sick, eject- 
ing demons, giving life to the dead, and impart- 
ing bread by a miracle to the multitudes that 
followed him. 

I introduced the worship by imploring a bless- 
ing on the word — then read a part of the ninth 
chapter of 1 Corinthians, as far as, Even so hath 
the Lord ordained, &c. 

In the evening after Divine service, several 
persons were in at general .1. W. Hawkins 
where I then boarded, who all expressed their 



58 

pleascdness with the preaching. Mr. Cooke, 
the silversmith said he wished I had preached 
before — that he hoped it would not be the last 
time. We did not believe, said he, that you 
could preach. 

Monday morning T went in to see Gen. Hawk- 
ins, who was sick on the bed unable to sit up. 
After inquiring how he was, I took a chair and 
sat by him near the bed. I understand; said he, 
that you disappointed the people yesterday very 
much — that they were very much pleased with 
the preaching : — To which T replied that I was 
glad to hear it. 

I had been compelled to pay for my board in 
advance. The time expired Sabbath evening ; 
and I knew not that I should be allowed to 
sleep there that night. However, a gentleman 
merchant, who w T as one of the hearers, handed 
me a three dollar note, on Monday morning be- 
fore breakfast, and Jacob Mordecai, the Jewish 
principal of the Female Seminary, a five dollar 
note that evening ; which was all I received, 
except that Mr. Hill paid the wash-woman and 
my passage to Louisburgh. Tuesday morning 
after breakfast, Gen. Hawkins sent me word 
that I should not eat there any more, and that I 
must leave the house. I could find no place to 
board at — the town as it were, was all on fire — 
and, as I think, I may be justified in saying, I 
was thrust out, and compelled to leave the 
place that very night. 

Ill lift my banner, saith the Lord, 
Where antichrist has stood. 



59 

I am overcome with the fatigue of writing, 
together with riding in the stage last night ; and 
must close my letter. Pray for your son, 

E. Cheever Whitman, 

Almost every day, for nearly a month prior to 
my leaving Warrenton, I inquired if any letter 
or letters addressed to me had been received 
there, but always received a negative answer. 
I left Warrenton on the night of the 27th Octo- 
ber ; and found, a while after, that a letter from 
my father had been sent there. Accordingly I 
addressed a letter to the post master at Warren- 
ton informing him of it : in reply to which I re- 
ceived from one of the clerks an impudent an- 
swer ; to which, being about to take shipping 
for Boston, no rejoinder was made. After my 
return to Goshen the letter in question was for- 
warded thence from the General Post Office, of 
which the following is a copy : 

Goshen, (Mass.) 24th Sept. ISIS. 

My dear Son — We are greatly afflicted on ac- 
count of your afflictions. We hope, however, 
that good things are in store for you. Be pa- 
tient in tribulation, and bear the indignation of 
the Lord. 

We are in good spirits ; I am preparing a 
printing office for Ephraim. We expect to do 
business in Co. 

The opposition party in town do not prosper 
although they are the majority. The minority, 
my friends are in good spirits, are hoping to 
prosper. 



60 

We hope that in God's time you will recover 
your health and enjoy great good yet in the land 
of the living, especially that your soul may be 
in health and prosper. 

I have now a little pecunia, will send you 
one — If no unhappy accident befalls it, will con- 
tinue. Your affectionate father, with your mo- 
ther, who always remember you. 

S. Whitman. 

At Louisburgh I engaged a man to carry me 
to Dr. Araunah BardwelTs, who lived at Pitch 
Landing. His horse, however, being taken 
sick, I was left at Murfreesborough, where I 
hired a man to convey me to the place above 
named. The delicate state of my health, with 
the exquisite sensibilities of a frail constitution, 
was such that the coldness with which I was re- 
ceived by, as I supposed, my old friend, the doc- 
tor, depressed my spirits, and was very detri- 
mental. 

After a continuance there of some weeks, I 
commenced a school of about twenty scholars, 
at six cents per week ; of which the doctor's 
two sons, who have since graduated at Prince- 
ton college, composed a part. The doctor's son, 
who for many weeks I had tried in vain to coax 
and flatter, and who learned very slowly for the 
first three months, I corrected at last; and 
though the doctor was offended, the acquire- 
ments of his son, in one month afterwards, were 
double to all he had learned in the three pre- 
ceding. 



61 

A circumstance occurred at the close of the 
school, which, perhaps, may not be unworthy 
of notice. It was said to be customary in that 
part of the country, at the expiration of the term 
for which the teacher was said to be hired, for 
the scholars to get together, and exclude him 
from the school house, till he yielded to their de- 
mands, by treating them with cider and apples, 
or something else that would answer much bet- 
ter to get them intoxicated. One of the boys, 
whose name, I am sorry to say, I have since for- 
got, (he had had a hair lip) though to do him 
justice I must give him the credit of being the 
best scholar I had, remained outside, and refu- 
sed to join with his comrades, by lending his aid 
to prevent my admission into the school-house, 
and by some means or other, the boys within 
were so intimidated that they retired to their 
seats ; and as there was no lock upon the door 
nor any barrier against it, I opened it as usual, 
and entered upon the duties of the day, without 
acceding to their wishes by bestowing the treat 
which the customs there encouraged them to ex- 
pect. 

Albeit, being unable to repose in the doctor 
the confidence to be desired, I would not again 
agree to be employed in the school for any defi- 
nite time, but engaged while I stayed, to teach 
for eight, instead of six cents per day, as I had 
before taught; and the first opportunity that 
presented, which was about the last of April 
1819, I left the Landing and took passage in a 
coasting vessel with Capt. Mayo for Boston. 
6 



62 

Extract of a letter to my parents, after my ar~ 
rival at Pitch Landing, near Winton. 

Hertford Co. N. C. 31st Dec. 1818, 
Honored Parents — This is the last day of the 
year. To me it has been a year of tossing to 
and fro, of wandering from place to place, of 
deep distress, and of ineffable mercy, in the 
manifestations of Divine care, which has attend- 
ed me in all my ways and in all my proceed- 
ings. 

In a season of adversity at Warrenton, thrust 
out from the habitations of men, and not having 
where to lay my head, I besought the Lord for 
enlargement ; and in my importunate addresses, 
agonizing wrestlings, and continual supplica- 
tions for the bestowment of it, I adverted to the 
lessons of my blessed Lord, from which, while I 
learnt that a single sparrow is not too trivial to 
be embraced by Divine observation, I learned, 
moreover, my superior value to many of them, 
and, also, that Omnipotent Fullness pervades 
even the lilies of the field ; and besides, in view 
of past occurrences, having witnessed the like 
care ceaselessly, and uniformly, and bouutifully, 
attending my every movement; I seized the 
cheering information as an argument for the 
communication of that aid, for which my help- 
less and outcast condition was then lifting an 
imploring eye to the Proprietor of all worlds and 
of all their treasures. But what most affected 
me, and was an argument, which I plied as the 
foundation of my more unwavering confidence 



63 

and firmest hopes, was, that the fiddlers, the 
stage-players, the show-men, with their sleight 
of hand, as they termed it, were kept in counte- 
nance by the great and the opulent, and were 
copiously furnished with means for the mainte- 
nance of their seeming independence, and ease, 
and caprice, and vanity, and extravagance, and 
of every desirable convenience for their enter- 
tainment, and sport, and riot in the day time, 
and conveyance in princely splendor from place 
to place. And though, I trust, I was not dispo- 
sed to look with envy upon their show of ease 
and prosperity, yet professing myself a worship- 
er of the Most High, and believing that my eve- 
ry step had been taken in the way of my duty ; 
I pressed the argument for the interposition of 
Heaven, in some way or other, so far forth as 
was necessary to exempt me from the putting 
forth of the finger, or of any reproach that would 
lessen the dignity or degrade the excellence of 
that religion, from which I professed to derive 
my every consolation and assured hope, in the 
extension of favor adapted to my necessities, and 
the relief of my embarrassments. 

By my last letter you would trace me to Lou- 
isburgh. Having closed it, which was done ab- 
ruptly on account of weariness ; I engaged a 
conveyance to Dr. BardvvelFs, at Winton, utterly 
uncertain how, or in what way, if at all, it would 
be possible for me to meet the expenses of the 
journey. About the middle of the day, I called 
.it Mr. Bobbits, whose wife was the Principal of 
ihc Female Academy, and who, I had been in- 



64 

formed, had come there from Massachusetts, 
Her name was Partridge. She was a native of 
Pittsfield, a relation of the Partridges, in Plat- 
field, was recommended by the Rev. Dr. Lyman 
and Mr. Billings, and had resided at Hatfield, in 
the capacity of a teacher for some time previous 
to her going to Louisburgh. After a slight inti- 
mation of my circumstances, concluding, in con- 
sequence of misunderstanding, that $10,00 with 
what I then had, would answer my purpose ; I 
observed if she could lend me thus much, it 
would oblige me exceedingly ; and mention of 
it being made to her husband, instead of lend- 
ing me ten dollars, he handed me fifteen, with 
the liberty of replacing it when I found it con- 
venient. I understood the man to say that his 
charges would be six dollars per day. In addi- 
tion to this, I found afterwards that all the ex- 
penses of the journey devolved upon me, and as 
much more as would be adequate to the outgo- 
ings of his way back. Apprized of my mistake, 
I let the man know that I had only between 
824 and 25 ; and after travelling a part of the 
third day, his horse being taken sick, for this 
and other reasons, he left me at Murfreesbor- 
ough, exacting five or six dollars less than he 
would have done, had I had plenty of money ; 
in consequence of which I remained in possess- 
ion of between three and four dollars. 

The next morning, Mr. Gordon, the landlord, 
was coming into the doctor's neighborhood ; 
and after paying my tavern bill, and what accru- 
ed to him for allowing me a seat in his carriage, 
J had a few cents left, 



65 

I expect next Monday to engage in a school, 
and to board with the doctor. 

I saw Miss Griswold, at Louisburgh, and 
found by inquiry, that she became acquainted, 
not with Polly Whitman, but Theodama Cush- 
man, at Westfield academy. 

When I left Warrenton, T considered myself 
in a state of convalescence ; but notwithstand- 
ing the long continued use of the mineral wa- 
ters, the humor which troubled me is not eradi- 
cated ; and my health, though better than it has 
been, is far from being in a sound state. 

Jan. 15, 1819 — I have a little neighborhood 
school of twenty scholars, at $3,75 per quarter 
for each. The doctor's little son is one of my 
scholars. He had been at school the greater 
part of a year before I came here. The other 
day, as he expressed his preference of me to his 
former teacher, his mother insisted upon know- 
ing the reason. His reply was, Mr. Whitman 
prays. 

In your prayers remember your ever dutiful 
son, E. Cheever Whitman. 

Among the last things 1 did, prior to leaving 
the Landing, was to inform the postmaster, at 
Warrenton, that a letter from my father had 
been sent to that office. The reply to this let- 
ter was forwarded to me from the Landing, alt- 
er my return to Goshen, Mass. 

The captain was kind and obliging. 

As we dropped down the Chowan, T was sur- 
fed at the number and magnitude of the nct^ 



66 

which extended so far into the river, that we 
came, several times, very near running foul of 
them, and were spread from both banks, for a 
great many miles. We went ashore at Eden- 
ton, and were detained several hours while the 
captain was in waiting to procure his clearance. 
And sorry I am to say, that the ways of them 
whose steps take hold on hell, were, meanwhile, 
resorted to, by one or more of the deluded sail- 
ors. Leaving Edenton we proceeded through 
Albermarle and Pamlico sounds, till w 7 e arrived 
at a point where very many vessels had come to 
anchor, and we must conclude upon doing the 
same, or put out to sea ; as it was very evident 
that a storm was at hand. The captain resolved 
upon the latter. And as the storm came on, we 
found ourselves, in a few hours, proceeding 
against it by means of the gulph stream, and 
gradually gaining a more northern latitude. 
The storm was, nevertheless, severe and violent ; 
the dead lights were closed ; the sea broke over 
us and into the cabin ; and the captain's son, a 
young man of eighteen, was so intimidated and 
sea-sick, as to be unable to do duty on board, 
which induced the captain to signify, soon after, 
his determination that he should never again ac- 
company him abroad, except upon the land. In 
a day or two after, the storm having somewhat 
abated, we were spoken by a large British ship 
bound for Baltimore, whose crew and passen= 
gers, which were quite numerous, appeared to 
have come upon deck to display themselves. 
We continued our course, and night advancing 



67 

we retired to our cabin. In the course of our 
passage, being at length enveloped in a very 
thick fog ; as the leads were being thrown and 
the crew upon the watch, we were unexpectedly 
astounded by the cry of, Breakers ahead ! and 
soon descried the shores of Martha's vineyard, 
within a few rods. In process of time the fog 
dispersed, and though, at first, the wind was 
ahead, and we gained little or nothing for a day 
or more, we had a pleasant view, as we proceed- 
ed, of Nantucket, and other islands, and enter- 
ed the harbor of Boston with a gentle breeze, 
and fair weather. 

My constitution was greatly revived and 
strengthened by a return to the North. I deem- 
ed myself, at that time, in a state of convales- 
cence ; and the prospect of possessing a state of 
confirmed health, was much greater than it had 
been before for many years. 

As I wished, however, if possible, not to bur- 
den my father, who, the year before had been 
dismissed from his pastoral charge, I preferred 
an early application to Elijah Bardwell, who 
was committee for the school in the east dis- 
trict, to be employed as a teacher, which, for 
reasons best known to himself, was, notwith- 
standing, rejected. 

In the September of this year, my brother 
Ephraim Whitman, died of consumption. 

I raised the next year, (1820) in my father's 
garden, about fifty bushels of onions. 

In the autumn of this year, I was sued by the 
Hon. Samuel T, Armstrong, of Boston, for 120 



68 

dollars, received in books, the avails of which, 1 
had expended, in part, for my journey to the 
South, who employed a sheriff to serve me with 
a special writ. To prevent his instantly con- 
veying me to prison, I obtained bonds for my 
appearance at court, and the aid of Mr. Bridg- 
man in postponing the suit till the March term. 
My request, in the meantime, addressed in a 
letter to my aunt in Boston, was complied with, 
and my note to Mr. Armstrong exchanged for 
theirs. 

The reply to this letter, not being at hand, I 
offer the following, which 1 happen to have, as 
expressive of the kind regard, on my behalf, 
that was entertained by the departed friend, to 
whom, in a time of distress, my entreaty for re- 
lief was not made in vain ; who, about the last 
of April, 1822, with a hope full of immortality, 
and a countenance beaming with the joy of the 
blessed, bid adieu to the world. The prayer, at 
her funeral, was offered by the Rev. Dr. Wis- 
ner ; and her remains were deposited in the 
family tomb at Charlestown. 

Boston, July, 1819. 
My dear nephew — As we expect you will 
send for your prunes, I think we shall have an 
opportunity to send you a line. You went from 
here so still,* and so quick, your aunt Abigail, 
though waiting, was disappointed in not seeing 
you. We want to know how you got home and 
how you all do. 

* I look the stage for Northampton at an early hour. 



69 

We have been reading your sermon and like 
it v$ry well. 

Mr. Sabine, of whom we talked when you 
were here, has set up a Sabbath evening Lec- 
ture. He has commenced with expounding the 
beginning of the Bible. Mrs. Adams says his 
discourse was sublime. He held up the doctrine 
of the Trinity. 

There is much good news in the Recorder. 
It is good times for christians. 

We must rejoice though we are in tribulation. 
Take courage, my dear nephew — you are young. 
May you be blessed, and be a blessing. 

Our best love to your father and mother. Tell 
them we are as well as can be expected — well 
as common. 

Tell your brothers and sisters I hope some of 
them will write soon. 

Mr. Adams has been to pay Mr. Armstrong 
for the Panoplist, and found a letter from your 
father, Jan. 8, 1819. We were glad to see it. 
We hope he will find ours to him. Mr. Adams 
was sorry he did not see you. 

July 17 — We fear your prunes will be spoiled. 
There is much better fruit now — hope you enjoy 
it. 

The season has been very healthy and agree- 
able. Three persons have died suddenly, not- 
withstanding. They were all in one house, and 
were all taken violently sick. They lived but 
about three hours, each of them. It is said 
they eat cherries, and a good deal of pine apple, 
and lobster. 



to 

Rev. Mr. Huntington has been here to see 
Mrs. Adams, and came up to see us. We like 
him very well. Sister Abigail intends to attend 
his preaching when she can. 

Rev. Mr. Dwight is about to answer Rev. Dr. 
Channing's Baltimore sermon. The Charles- 
town Baptist minister has, accidentally, answer- 
ed him, by an ordination sermon he preached at 
Connecticut. 

We know that all real christians love the 
Lord Jesus Christ, and love one another. But 
I apprehend, all good persons don't see alike. 
Still I think Dr. Charming to be wrong, very 
wrong. Let us know what your father and you 
think. 

We get along comfortably, though infirm. I 
am very much so, and expect to be so. 

Our neighbor, Foster, died the 2d of June, 
aged seventy, quite resigned to the will of God. 
We hope and trust she is happy. Pray for us — 
and write as soon as you can. 
Your affectionate aunts, 
Sarah, Elizabeth, & Abigail Cheever. 
Mr. Ezekiel Cheever Whitman. 

The fondness with which we all cling to ex- 
istence is so ardent and overpowering, that, 
when life is in jeopardy, circumstances may be 
such as to render excusable, and even proper, 
the doing of that, which in every other condi- 
tion would be improper and highly culpable. 
With this and no other end in view, than the 
hope, that it was barely possible, that a consti- 



71 

ration already deteriorated to such a degree as 
scarcely to reflect the image of what it once 
was, might, nevertheless, be ransomed from the 
speedy destruction that threatened it,andthe span 
of life prolonged for a few more days ; I ventur- 
ed to employ the property of another, as a means 
of my conveyance from my own land to a land 
of strangers. For, 

Though duped from day to day, how fond is man, 
Fond of the soft seducing scenes of time, 

As if 'twere not high Heaven's majestic plan 
To raise him to enjoyment more sublime. 

What pains and perils will he not forego 

To have the world a few short years in sight ; 

As if the Tree of Life could thrive below, 
And earth could furnish durable delight. 

The aniety I felt on account of this demand, 
together with the occurrences connected with 
being sued, greatly combined to impair the 
health and energies of a boken constitution. 
Relieved, at length, of a burden, the weight of 
which had been so oppressive and overwhelm- 
ing ; a quiet home was all that seemed to be 
necessary to revive my spirits and renew my 
health. But after the relief obtained by the in- 
tervention of Providence on this occasion, the 
treatment I received from one of my brothers, 
prevented the return of that health and spirits, 
which, else, to human appearance had soon 



72 

been realized : Albeit, as he has recently con- 
fessed his fault and professed to be sorry, I can 
freely forgive him. 

In allusion to the afflictive and trying circum= 
stances of my condition ; near the close of this 
year I wrote the following lines : 

If exempt from the sting of designed aberration 
From duty, with conscience to lighten the 
way, 

If unwavering hope of Divine approbation 
Sweet peace and the meekness of wisdom 
convey ; 

Will the heaviest trials a murmur create 1 
No — though mournful in view of the varing ills 

In clustering attendance on life's every state, 
The heart of the righteous submissively thrills 

With joy in the reign of Omnipotent power — 
Evolutions of time will, eventually, show 

Why trouble should over these tenements lower- 
Before the high Throne let me now abide 
low — 

My spirit instructed its mandate obeying, 

And its cheerful and holiest homage yet paying. 

In the Summer of 1821, my father having 
been sued and an attachment laid upon his farm 
in consequence of obligations he had signed for 
one of my brothers ; I went to Boston and beg- 
ged between two and three hundred dollars to 



T3 

relieve his embarrassments. Exhausted by the 
anxiety and efforts involved in this enterprize, 
I had recourse to the warm bath ; by which 
my nerves were soothed and quieted to a great- 
er degree than they ever were by any cordial or 
medicine ever administered. 

Extracts of letters to my father. 

Boston, 14th Sept. 1821. 

Honored Parents — I have done nothing on 
the plan expected when I lefc Goshen. The 
statements in the papers you gave me are not 
disputed ; and if accompanied by testimonials 
from laymen, it is thought with discreet and 
persevering exertions, there would be some pros- 
pect of doing something. 

On the whole, I think if your case can be 
stated as it ought to be, and besides being at- 
tested by such gentlemen as I have made men- 
tion of, if they will do something themselves as 
an example for the encouragement of others, 
there will be something to hope for ; but alas ! 
the tale of woe has been told so often that peo- 
ple are becoming callous and cold-hearted. 
Let us pray more earnestly and submit the 
event. Your dutiful son, 

E. Cheever Whitman. 

Boston, 7th Nov. 1821. 

Dear Father — I called at Worcester at Mr. 

Waldo's, but he and his sisters were all absent. 

After I came to town, by the advice of Mrs. Dix, 

I called on Rev. Mr. Channintf. He appeared 



74 

cold and distant — said I was a stranger— that 
the papers I presented had the marks of genu- 
ine ones — that he knew not by what means I 
obtained them, or how they got into my hands — 
that for those gentlemen to send away here and 
do nothing themselves, was not treating Mr. 
Whitman with due respect. But as I forgot to 
show him Rev. Dr. Harris' recommendation of 
the " Key," I called again the next day and 
presented it. He said, from the recommenda- 
tion of Dr. Harris, he should like to see it ; and 
the next morning, which was Saturday, I carri- 
ed one to him, for which he gave me three dol- 
lars. He observed that the Dwights and the 
Tappans were from Springfield and Northamp- 
ton, and advised me, in the first place, to call 
upon them. I called accordingly on Mr. Dwight, 
but he was busy. I called, afterwards, at Rev. 
Mr. Dwight's, but he was absent. 

The next morning after I came to town, 
(Wednesday) I called on the Mr. Phillips who 
married his wife from Northampton, but obtain- 
ed no relief. 

I called, last Friday, on Mr. Thorndike : he 
was going into the country and desired me to 
call again, another time. Monday I called 
again — the servant came to the door — said he 
w r as at dinner, and that it would be an hour, at 
least, before I could see him. It was very 
rainy — however, in about an hour after, I called 
again. The servant came to the door, said he 
was very busy, and desired me to call again at 
his compting room, No. 45, India wharf, at JO 



iO 

or 11 o'clock the next morning. I did so. Mr. 
Thorndike looked at the paper signed Ezra 
Starkweather, Esq.&c. said he wanted no other 
recommendation — and concluded from the gen- 
tlemen w r ho signed the paper that Mr. Whit- 
man's dismission was not owing to any fault of 
his. But, said he, I •am poor, and my friend 
Starkweather is as rich as a Jew, and he has no 
children : why did he not put dow r n something 
himself? However, said he, I will put down a 
small sum, on condition you will carry it to Gov- 
ernor Philips, and so leaving room for his honor 
to place his name at the top, he put down 

815 Israel Thorndike, fifteen dollars. 
I then carried it to Governor Philips, who desired 
me to read it to him twice, and the names of the 
signers — and then, taking the paper, and looking 
at it, as if hesitating what to do, he wrote under 
Mr. Thornkike 

§15 paid, Win. Phillips, fifteen dollars. 
I send you a ten dollar note received of 
Mr. Thorndike. I fear I shall be able to do 
but little after all. Let us combine and con- 
centre our forces, and contrive, if possible, to 
get up that mortgage. Your affectionate son, 
E. Cheever Whitman. 

Dear Father — I enclosed in my last a note 
of ten dollars out of the thirty I had then col- 
lected ; in addition to which I have since col- 
lected one hundred and thirty. I received yes- 
terday of sundry individuals more than forty 
dollars ; with to-day's labor I have gathered 



76 

but seven, subscribed by two gentlemen, mer- 
chants, who wrote cash seven dollars, without 
adding their names. 

We have reason to praise the Lord for what 
has been done on our behalf. Let us, for the 
time to come, be more watchful against sin, 
that would close the avenues he has opened to 
comfort us : And let us study what we shall 
render Him for all his benefits. 

I subscribe this paper, said Mr. Lewis Tap- 
pan, from my knowledge of your father and of 
these gentlemen : but if a subscription of this 
kind, with names equally respectable, were pre- 
sented me from Essex county, I should give 
nothing. 

Sister Abby is sick of the measles. I have 
not seen her for several days. They say, how- 
ever, she is doing as well as could be expected. 
Aunts are tolerable. 

It is impossible to say what further may be 
done, or whether any thing. Let us be humble 
before God; and " pray without ceasing." Your 
affectionate son, E. Cheever Whitman. 

Boston, 22d Nov. 1821. 

Dear and honored Father — Your letter by 
Mr. A. Colson Lyman, came to hand last eve- 
ning. In this letter, by him, I inclose to you 
sixty-five dollars. I have by me one hundred 
and fifty dollars, I have done but little the 
week past. Your letter, perhaps, may be of 
some use. I will try what further can be done. 

Sister Abby is getting better. Aunts are 



77 

inuch as they have been. They desire their 
love. Affectionately and dutifully, your 

E. Cheever Whitman. 

Having accomplished as far I was able the 
object I had in view in going to Boston, I was 
so exhausted and feeble as to be unable to re- 
turn to Northampton, by stage, in one day. It 
being Saturday, I stopped at Worcester till 
Monday, and attended the morning services on 
the Sabbath at the Rev. Dr. Bancroft's. I 
reached home on the morning of the following 
Tuesday. And a subsequent use of the warm 
bath as often as every other week, till about the 
last of the following April, was deemed to be hard- 
ly less than indispensable to the preservation of 
life. After this, I substituted the use of the 
cold bath ; which, with few exceptions, was used 
as often as every other week, both Winter and 
Summer, for more than eight years. It appear- 
ed, at length, to occasion debility, and was dis- 
continued. 

When the Spring opened, I had my father's 
garden divided in the middle ; on the eastern 
half of which I raised that year about sixty 
bushels of onions. Had it been in my possess- 
ion, I would have had it enclosed with a strong 
high fence, for the cultivation of quinces and 
other choice fruits. I raised, one year, on a few 
rods in the southwestern corner of it, about three 
pecks of Spring rye, from a quart of seed obtain- 
ed at Ashby, which had been sold at four dol- 
7 * 



lars per bushel, being highly recommended as 
having never been known to blast. 

Being in Boston in 1822, my aunt Abigail 
Cheever showed me the joint will of herself and 
sister deceased that year ; in which was be- 
queathed to me at her decease, the half of their 
property. 

The following is a copy of a letter addressed 
to my sister in Boston in 1823. 

Dear Abby — The Rev. Mr. Boardman is in 
town to day ; and as 1 am always gratified in 
hearing from him the good word of salvation ; 
I indulge the hope of an intellectual banquet. 
How consoling to the pious mind is the return 
of holy time — of that blessed day when the Son 
of the Highest, emerging from the habitations 
of the dead, ascended up on high as the first 
fruits of them that slept, and in token of his al- 
mighty power to raise up us also — to impart to 
the dead in sin spiritual and divine life, and to 
quicken whom he will. O, how amiable are 
those dwellings of our God, in which we en- 
gage in those services, and partake of those joys, 
which are begun on earth to be perfected in 
heaven. 

We often sit under the droppings of the sanct- 
uary : — and can we prize too highly these inval- 
uable and infinitely interesting seasons intended 
for our spiritual benefit, and to lead us in the 
way everlasting ? Can we improve with too 
much ardor and persevering diligence our un- 
certain and precious opportunities ? Can we 



79 

desire too earnestly, the sincere milk of the 
word, that we may grow thereby ? Especially, 
dear A. may it be asked, in respect to those 
children of God, whose lot, like yours, is cast in 
a portion of Zion distinguished by unusual ad- 
vantages for instruction in righteousness ; what 
can impart greater joy to devout and humble 
worshipers of the Father of mercies, than to 
hear of such, that they walk in the truth, and 
go, as they do, from strength, to strength, in 
proportion to their every means of improvement — 
working out their salvation with fear and tremb- 
ling — and acquiring, from day to day, renew- 
ed vigor for their every conflict with sin and Sa- 
tan, and the race set before them ? 

" He that sleepeth in harvest is a son that 
causeth shame." If christians are lifting up 
their voice for understanding — if they are more 
earnest to possess higher degrees of moral ex- 
cellence — to have more of the divine image — 
it serves to show, that as the smoking flax is not 
yet quenched, they are emulating the manhood of 
that faith which indited the words of the poet, 
when he said : 

O, what immortal joys I felt, 

And raptures all Divine, 
When Jesus told me I was his 

And my Redeemer mine. 

Sept. 1. Mr. B preached as was expect- 
ed. His subject, A. M. was, The sin of inde- 
cision in the service of God. Text — Joshua 



so 

xxiv. 15. P. M. The folly and danger of pro- 
crastination. Text — Acts xxiv. 25. 

The faith, then, which avails to the saving of 
the soul, will work by love, and purify the 
heart — otherwise it is dead, being alone. The 
hope, also, which is begotten in the followers of 
the Lamb, is a lively hope — and it maketh not 
ashamed, because it is laid up in heaven, and 
bringeth forth fruit. 

And, now, when the clouds return after rain ; 
my dear Aunts, I trust, will not be insensible 
how sweet it is to lean upon the Lord. In all 
their cares and perplexities, let the way of their 
duty be sought for in the shades of their closet. 
The promises are sure. And what would they 
have more, having the Shepherd of Israel to 
lead them by the still waters — lighten their 
darkness, and " guide them all their journey 
through." 

Your letter of the 29th ult. to father and sis- 
ter P. received this morning, was highly gratify- 
ing to all of our family ; and from the rich vari- 
ety of intelligence it contained, it was uncom- 
monly interesting. We were not a little pleas- 
ed to hear of your visit at Groton and West- 
ford — of the delightful ride you had with Aunts, 
and of the pleasant interview which you and 
they enjoyed together with friends in Charles- 
town. Your loving brother, 

EZEKIEL CHEEVER WHITMAN. 

In the course of this year I transcribed for my 
father the proceedings of the Church and Socie= 



81 

ty in Goshen, Mass. in the dismission of their 
minister, and in the settling of another. I car- 
ried the manuscript to Boston, and agreed with 
Messrs. Lincoln &, Edmands for the printing of 
live hundred copies at ninety dollars. 

In the month of October, 1824, I took a seat 
in the chaise with the Rev. Mr. Boardman, and 
proceeded with him to his residence in North 
Haven, Ct. where I tarried till about the last of 
December : And besides preaching his prepar- 
atory lecture, I repeatedly preached for him on 
the Sabbath, and once at Wallingford in the 
pulpit of the Rev. Mr. Noyes. 

He had introduced me to the family of his 
parishioner, Peter Eastman, Esq, who, unasked, 
had proffered to me the hand of his daughter, 
Mary. As I had no doubt, if sought in earnest, 
on my part, its acquisition would not be diffi- 
cult ; with an expectation, which well nigh 
amounted to certainty, that in due time it would 
be realized ; I composed the discourse from 2 
Corinthians viii. 9 which was the only one I had 
written for more than nine years. 

On my return to Goshen, I addressed letters 
to the father and daughter ; but as no reply 
to either of them was ever received, a renewal 
of my visit there w r as prolonged till his daughter 
Mary was married, and was the mother of four 
children. The old gentleman having died ; his 
widow was living with her only son, w r ho was 
living with his second wife. 

The following is a letter addressed to my 
aunts and sister in Boston, dated, 



82 



Goshen, 24th Sept. 1825. 

Though it seems superfluous, my dear aunts 
and sister, to take my pen with a view to in- 
struct you — a few lines, I trust, will yet be ac- 
cepted as a testimonial of one, who is afflicted in 
your affliction and rejoices in your joy — that at 
every remembrance or mention of you, his bo- 
som still beats with a deep and unabated affec- 
tion. 

If, as a certain poet observes : " That life is 
long which answers life's great end/' — We will 
say then, the great end of life is to come into 
possession of what, by nature, we are wholly 
destitute — a preparation of heart to take delight 
in the society of holy beings — in communion 
with the Father of our spirits — to glorify him, 
and enjoy him for ever. By what means then 
are we to come into possession of this prepara- 
tion of heart ? — and if we have it in possession, 
how are we to know it ? — In the penitential 
prayer of the sweet Psalmist of Israel, it is ask- 
ed of God, as if imparted by him and wrought in 
the creature, without any thing done on his (the 
petitioner's) part to obtain it. " Create within 
me a clean heart, O God, and renew within me 
a right spirit." — It was the Psalmist who pray- 
ed — it was God who imparted the petition. So, 
in the name of his God, the people of Israel are 
called upon by the Prophet Exekiel — " to cast 
away their transgressions, and to make them a 
new heart and a new spirit." Also — " Work 
out your salvation," says Paul, " with fear and 



83 

trembling ; for it is God that worketh in you to 
will and to do of his good pleasure." 

In what way we are to know whether or not 
we have attained, in any measure, the great end 
of life — Let us simply inquire — if we can tell, 
whether or not we love music ? — Whether or 
not we have any delight in beholding the beau- 
ties of nature ? — Oj, whether honey is sweet and 
pleasant to our taste ? — Can we be less at a loss 
to know if we are contented with our lot ? — If 
the duties of our station are performed with 
alacrity ? — Or whether we have any portion of 
that spirit which never ceases to exult in will- 
ing and doing good, in proportion to the utmost 
stretch of its powers, to the whole human fami- 
ly ? — But here I must stop. — 

And may we not hope, my dear aunts and sis- 
ter, may we not hope, that as far as we are able, 
we entertain a wish, at least, to promote by ev- 
ery means in our power the present and everlast- 
ing benefit of our fellow-mortals ? 

Tf the measure of human life is in proportion 
to the elevation of character one has served to 
achieve — to the sum one has added, to the 
amount of moral excellence ;* then the longest 
life that was ever attained to, will, possibly, per- 
haps, have been, at most, an exceedingly short 
duration, if compared with the lives of some, who 
have terminated their career in the meridian, or 
even the morning of their days. O, how desira- 
ble then it is, however limited, or to whatever 

*See Daniel xii. 3. 



34 

length the term of our existence may have been 
extended, that by a wise appropriation and hal- 
lowed devotedness of our time to the proper end 
of its gracious and merciful bestowment — that 
of doing good to all as we have opportunity, — we 
may lay up for ourselves a good foundation 
against the time to come. O, how uncertain, how 
evanescent are all earthly possessions ! O, how- 
rapid is our passage from all that is mortal and 
perishable, to that eternity of ' untried being,' 
which is soon to open upon all the living ! And 
how consummate the folly of him who has nev- 
er allowed the seriousness of his meditations to 
dwell a moment upon that eternity, which will 
not be too long to regret that every twinkling of 
the days of his time had been passed in vanity. 

That we may behold the world in its true 
light ; — and that contrasting the baubles of time 
with the riches of eternity, we may eventually 
be found to have secured to ourselves a portion 
of its precious invaluable treasure — the one 
thing needful — the good part which will never 
be taken from us, — is the continued prayer of 
your ever affectionate nephew and brother, 

Ezekiel C. Whitman. 

The discourse from 2 Corinthians viii. 9, I 
preached in October, 1825, for the Rev. Henry 
Lord of Williamsburgh, in the hope, that a few, 
at least, of his people, w T ould esteem it a pleas- 
ure, to render me some assistance, to relieve the 
anxiety connected with feeble health and conse- 
quent inability of laboring statedly and perma- 



DO 

nently in the vineyard of God. But in all prob- 
ability, as the real truth in regard to my situa-* 
tion was neither known nor understood ; so the 
consequent propriety of communicating to my 
necessity did not therefore occur to a single in- 
dividual. But in the following June, 18*26, I 
delivered the same discourse, at a preparatory 
lecture in Chester, for the Rev. Mr. Pomeroy ; 
and without any intimation, on my part, though 
it was a rainy day, and but few people were 
present ; yet, as an expression'of their kindness 
and good wishes, a communication was made to 
me of four dollars and eighty-two cents. As a 
testimonial of gratitude for such an expression 
of unexpected generosity, I addressed a note to 
the Rev. Mr, Pomeroy, (though I was, after- 
wards, accidentally apprized that it was never 
received,) of which the following is a copy : — 

Goshen, July, 1S26. 
Rev. and dear Sir — It is my wish, in address- 
ing a few lines to you, at this time, both, at 
once, to express the tenderness of my sensibili- 
ties and my earnest desire, that the overflowings 
of a heart penetrated with gratitude, and going 
forth in devout solicitude to the Throne of 
Heaven, that the treasures of Divine grace may 
be more abundantly poured upon you and the 
good people of your parish, than you can ask or 
conceive ; and that for the esteem and kindness 
so openly manifessed by you and them, on my 
behalf, my aspirations for your welfare in time 
\i\\d eternity, may, by you and them, be accept- 



86 

ed from me, as the only offering in my power to 
bestow. 

That the little influence, which I may yet 
have the power of exerting in aid of the inter- 
ests of truth and righteousness, may hereby be 
strengthened ; and that I may, hereby, be led 
to more abundantly emulate the elevation of 
character, which possesses the high privilege of 
successfully presenting its claims to public pat- 
ronage, by obtaining such a share of it, as affords 
the best evidence, that the christian communi- 
ty are not insensible to real merit, nor unwilling 
to reward it, is the prayer of your grateful, but 
unworthy to be named fellow helper in Christ. 

EZEKIEL CHEEVER WHITMAN. 

Had this example been imitated by other 
churches, and had I received from them, in pro- 
portion to their numbers, the aid that was impart- 
ed in Chester ; it might, perhaps, have been used 
as a means of relief from those infirmities, under 
which I still continue to struggle in vain. 

About the first of September, 1826, a letter 
was received from Hamilton, N. Y. in which 
was conveyed the mournful intelligence of the 
death of my brother, Dr. Stephen West Whit- 
man ; while on his way with his wife and child 
from Madison, O. to visit his friends in Massa- 
chusetts. I wrote, soon after, a short Poem as 
a tribute to his memory, of which the following 
is a copy : — His death occurred at Hamilton, N. 
Y. Aug. 13, 1826. 



87 

Oh, my departed Brother, could a tear 
Recall thy spirit thou wouldst now be here, 
Sprightly, as when in days for ever past, 
Fraternal kindess cheered me to the last, 
While candor soothed and conversation stole 
Awhile, the sorrow of my struggling soul. 
But those delightful seasons all are fled, 
And thou, my Brother, numbered with the dead. 
The interview desired at home's retreat, 
And finding in its circle there, a seat, 
Contemplated with rapture, showed how dear 
Was many a past enjoyment tasted here. 
But though the favors Heaven bestowed on thee, 
Were very many, this was not to be. 
Superior power beset the lingering wheels ; 
And all the gladdening impulse nature feels, 
To think of parties from a distant land, 
Exchanging pledges of a kindred band, 
Fled like a dream, which, at the dawn of day, 
Like empty vapor speeds itself away. 

And now to recollect the many days 
Beguiled in such variety of ways, 
That time would fail me, if the half were named, 
Or half the history of their actions claimed — 
To call to mind the long forgotten hours, 
Is sweeter now than fancy's loveliest flowers 



- 

Inhaling copiously the sunny beams, 
But withering for want of genial streams. 

Time was too short when last these eves of 
mine 
Beheld the boyant gaiety of thine, 
Which, like the Northern Lights, that deck the 

sk y, 

And seem to tell that day is drawing nigh, 
But fade anon ; when, lo, a drearier gloom 
Of more appalling darkness in ils room ; 
Are closed, alas, upon the brow of night, 
And all the beauties of the morning light. 
The partner of thy toils still left behind 
To train without thy aid the infant mind. 

But what the memory gathers up as news 
Relating to the past, may still amuse. 

Thy history tells us, as the sober truth, 
Of childish roguery, and of sportive youth, 
That needed wisdom's care and wary skill, 
To lure from vice to virtue's golden hill, 
And pour upon the mind its heavenly ray, 
And shed upon its path a brighter day; — 
Of ardent thirst deservedly to claim 
And wear the meed of literary fame ; — 
Of searching anxiously the Gospel plan 
Revealed from h.eaven, to teach offending man : 



S9 

Of hope, when time had almost traveled by, 
Indulged, of having found redemption nigh, 
And shared in love, which he who died has 

shown 
By agonies, for folly not his own. 

And, oh, since thou art gone, the thought 

how sweet, 
That, in a brighter world, we vet may meet. 
Though sweet, indeed, the hour when last we 

met, 
And which, while memory lives, can ne'er forget: 
I hoped for more, as cordials to my heart, 
To soothe the fervor of its throbbing smart. 
But he who gave and took thee hence, replies ; 
Be still — consider — and let this suffice, 
That I have done it — let perpetual rills 
Of such delight as heaven for ever fills, 
Spring from the thought, that, even in the deep, 
Compassion, truth and love my footsteps keep. 

On the evening of Monday the eighteenth of 
December, 18*20, my father died. He supped 
with the family, and during the day, had been, 
apparently, as well as usual. His disease was 
supposed to be what is termed by physicians, 
Angina pectoris 

The following is an extract of the letter, re- 
ceived soon after, from mv sister in Boston. 



90 

Boston, 24th Dec. 1826. 

My dear mother, brothers and sisters — T have 
been confined at home for a week, aunt Abby 
being sick. I stayed from meeting this after- 
noon, on her account — felt peculiarly solemn — 
and in my supplications, more than ever I re- 
member, desired to be prepared for trials. O, I 
feel that my mind was, in some measure, prepar- 
ed for the solemn intelligence of the departure 
of my beloved father. True, indeed, there are 
consolations in his death. Instead of long sick- 
ness and racking pain, the kind angel of mercy 
stretched out his arms, and, as we may all firm- 
ly trust, lodged him in the bosom of his God, 
O, I trust you will be supported, and that this 
lesson will be one that will entirely wean us 
from the world, and cause us to hope in that 
God, who is ever ready to pour into the afflicted 
bosom the balm of consolation. 

My letter was left by Mr. Vose at Mr. Hunt- 
ing's. This day I called for it when return- 
ing from meeting — observed to Mrs. Hunting 
I dreaded to open it ; and coming home I felt 
deeply impressed that there were solemn tidings— 
I lifted my heart to God — I felt that t had been 
supported, and that I should receive strength 
equal to my day. O, that I could be with you 
in this solemn, trying scene. But duty bids me 
stay. — O, may the consolations of the Holy 
Spirit comfort every heart, and cause the wil- 
lows to sing for joy. 

I imagine I behold my dear mother, in faith, 
leaning on the Beloved, and casting all her care 



91 

on Him who careth for her. Pray, my dear 
mother, have you been supported by the conso- 
lations of the Gospel ? How steadfastly have 
you kept in view the great end of your being. 
Well may you look forward to mansions of bliss, 
and hope to meet your earthly husband with the 
ransomed of the Lord. 

Monday evening. At this time, no doubt, 
your minds are deeply affected. How little did 
I think, a week to-night, that my parent was 
closing his eyes on all things below. O, I mourn, 
but with joy in God, who has done all things 
well. This morning I addressed a few lines to 
Rev. Dr. Wisner. He came to see me — admin- 
istered consolation — and prayed, that, now, my 
earthly father was taken away, I might look en- 
tirely to my heavenly Father, and strive to make 
a wise improvement, realizing that this was sent 
for to make me better. O, shall I not improve 
by it? Will not the ties which bind me to 
earth be loosened, and conformity to God be 
my only request ? 

O, how much good advice and instruction- 
have fallen from the lips of my dear father. O, 
may it be engraven on my memory, as a nail in 
a sure place, and be continually exciting me to 
diligence and faithfulness in the service of God. 
The solemn responsibility of living for God and 
eternity press upon me; and, if I am not de- 
ceived, it is my greatest desire. 

My dear brother's letter was a source of con- 
solation. Dear brother, you seem to me like a 
father. O, may the richest of heaven's bless- 



9-2 

ings be poured into your bosom, and wisdom, in 
a two fold proportion, be imparted to direct your 
steps, at this responsible season of your life. I 
trust I shall soon have an account of every par- 
ticular of the funeral solemnities, &,c. 

And, now, may the God of all grace illumine 
your habitation ; and may the path to heaven 
grow brighter and brighter, till permitted to en- 
ter its golden gates no more to go out. Your 
afflicted daughter and sister, 

Abby Whitman. 

I published in the Religious Intelligencer 
printed at New Haven, Ct. an obituary notice. 

I continued to be regarded with appearances 
of unkindness and want of confidence by one of 
my brothers ; and as he was unwilling that I 
should administer upon the estate, my mother 
having declined ; I permitted Joseph Putney, 
at the Probate Court that was held at Chester- 
field, the following May, to take out letters of 
administration. My brother, after this, was, 
apparently, so much more overbearing than 
he had been before, that on the July following, 
a little before the decease of my mother, who 
died the ninth of the following August, T aban- 
doned the house, through fear of my life ; 
whether produced by what was imaginary, or 
proceeding from what was seen, felt and under- 
stood ; the real course I was prompted to take 
will remain the same. 

I was not apprized of the death of my moth- 
er, till, on my arrival in Boston, the news was 



93 

communicated in a letter to my sister by the 
Rev. Mr. Boardman. 

In the Winter of 1827 and 1828, I boarded 
at the house of Thomas Brown in Goshen at 50 
cents and afterwards at 75 cents per week, be- 
sides instructing his son Benjamin F. who has 
since graduated at Amherst college, and is now 
at Andover. 

In the month of June, 1828, I obtained by 
a vote of the Legislature, a change of my name 
from Ezekiel Cheever Whitman to Ezekiel 
Cheever. In the Autumn following I published 
with such omissions as I thought to be proper, 
the discourse that was preached by the Rev. 
Cotton Mather, D. D. at the funeral of my an- 
cestor, who came from London to Boston in 
1637, and was seventy years a teacher of the 
Languages ; first at New Haven, Ct. and after- 
wards at Ipswich, Charlestown and Boston, with 
a fac simile of his hand writing copied from his 
manuscript, from which was published about 
eight pages, on different subjects written in 
London ; and besides which, there were others 
written in America, as ; Priscianus verberans 
et vapulans ; and a Poem addressed to Queen 
Anne, with several lines of Greek subjoined to 
it; which, without doubt, was written at Boston 
near the close of his life. For eleven copies of 
this pamphlet I received of the then mayor of 
Boston, the Hon. Josiah Quincy, $4,12)-. The 
words of the fac simile are the following : — 



94 

Mariae, Augustissimi Regis Caroli, filiae, 
Carmen Genethliacon. 

Ergone lascivit sulcantibus obsita rugis 
Et Iudit Natura parens ? num publica Matris 
Nondum fessa manus ? miserandas prodiga terras 
Ditavit gemina rugosa propagine dextra. 
Nunc agat, a nostro Boreali limite Phoebus 
Ignipedes defiectat equos, sine lumine noctes 
Duplicet; occiduura lustrant nova sidera 

mundum ; 
Tarda nimis solitos peragebat Cynthia menses, 
Ignavumque nimis cursum fraenavit equorum ; 
Impatiens Natura morae furibunda negavit 
Absoivi menses ; communis nescia fati 
Ex uteri clausis prorupit Stella tenebris ; 
Frigora nimbosis non Autumnalia brumis 
Enecuere rosas ; nostris en Gallica terris 
Alba vel invito revirescent lilia Phoebo : 
Caesaris antiquan decoravit Julia Romam, 
Nunc aequet Tibrim Thamesis ; jussuque Ton- 

antis s 

In terram missi major sit gloria partus, 
Sera polum repetat Princeps, et regia coeli 
Hanc tarde excipiat, quae festinavit in ortum. 

On my way to procure the publication of this 
Pamphlet, by means of a letter from Rev. H. 
BardwelJ of Holden, I introduced myself to S. 



95 

V. S. Wilder, Esq. of Bolton : and being infor- 
med of my business, he gave me two dollars to 
pay for my fare in a coach to Boston. At the 
family worship, in which he desired me to lead, 
he gave out to be sung the hymn commencing 
with— 

O, my soul, w 7 hat means this sadness ? &c. 

In the Summer of 1830, I left the aforenam- 
ed manuscript at the Boston Atheneum, and a 
copy T transcribed, with Mr. Leverett. A trans- 
fer of the manuscript was requested by the Rev. 
Mr. Felt of Hamilton, in whose care I left in 
1831, another manuscript of several hundred 
pages quarto, by the same author, on the mathe- 
matics, and on other discussions. His work on 
the Millennium published in America, I have 
never seen ; and whether any copies of it are 
now in being I am unable to say. 

In the Autumn of 18*29, not having had any 
home, except at short intervals, for more than 

two years, I plead with Mr. of to 

be allowed the privilege of having a home at 
his house. He set me to posting his books, and 
said, in a fortnight, he would give an answer of 
yes or no. But the fortnight expired ; and no 
answer having been given, and being obliged to 
discontinue the use of two or three gills of Sara- 
toga water, daily, which I had been using for 
two or three weeks before, and which caused 
my feet, when sitting still, with ver\ little exer- 
cise, to be much warmer than by all the exercise 
I was able to take : T went to his Father's in 



96 

■ where, in consequence of a copious dis- 
charge of blood from my bowels, my health 
and strength was greatly impaired. I was, nev- 
ertheless, in about a week, so far restored as 
to 1 be able to return to , and was permit- 
ted by Mr. to consider his house for a 

while as my home. I have never yet fully re- 
covered from the shock which my constitution 
received at that time. There had been for ma- 
ny years an unhealthful sluggishness — a want 
of action — an inceptive paralysis of my stomach 
and bowels. But a continued use of from two 
to three gills of the Congress water, at that 
time, would have roused the vis vitae ; and in 
the enjoyment of a quiet home, nature, it is be- 
lieved, had, at that time, sufficient strength to 
have expelled the noxious and impure juices. 

At the time of my residence at Mr. , my 

attention was directed to the subject of Baptism ; 
in the examination of which I came to the con- 
clusion that Immersion only, and not pouring nor 
sprinkling were to be regarded as Baptism; 
and that none but believers were proper sub- 
jects. I was baptized accordingly in May, 
1830, by Rev. David Wright, who was then the 
pastor of the Baptist church in that place. Be- 
ing urged to a public exhibition of my views, 
under circumstances unsuited to the task, and, 
at a time, when the state of my health was such, 
that application to study was so evidently hurt- 
ful, that a sense of duty would have seemed to 
forbid the attempt ; I hastily penned a rather 
poorly digested, and desultory discourse ; which, 



97 

for want of a better, with a few omissions and 
superadded remarks, I regarded as proper to go 
with the " Sketches. 5 ' 

Not being able to perform all the duties ex- 
pected of one in good health and accustomed to 
business — to preach statedly — or to study much ; 
I concluded, at length, to accept the ofTer I had 
had of a residence with my sister Parsons, in 
Middletown, Monongalia Co. Virginia. I was 
recommended by the Rev. Messrs. Ezra Going 
and David Wright. And Alvan Stone, a young 
gentleman belonging to Amherst college, was 
active in rendering assistance. The following 
is a copy of the writing he penned for that pur- 
pose : — 

Mr. Cheever having no place which he can 
call by the endearing appellation of " home," 
and having been invited by his sister in Middle- 
town, Virginia, to come and find a home with 
her, but from want of funds being unable to go ; 
We the subscribers, in view of these considera- 
tions, pledge ourselves, to pay the several sums 
set to our respective names, for the purpose of 
aiding him to accomplish his journey : 

Paid, John Williams 84,00 

Paid, Hinckley Williams 1,00 

Paid, Silas Burgess 1,00 

Aaron Bigelow 1,50 

I commenced my journey about the middle 
of September by the way of Troy and the Erie 
Canal. 



I left Troy in the stage on Saturday morning, 
and having arrived at Schenectady, I found a 
boat in which I proceeded to Amsterdam, where 
I concluded to tarry till after the Sabbath. I 
pursued my journey on Monday, and nothing 
worthy of special notice occurred, till within 
about eight miles of Rochester, where I was so 
unfortunate as to break the inner bone (tibia) 
of my left limb, partially dislocating, at the same 
time, my left ankle and fracturing the patella of 
my left knee. 

Having arrived at Rochester, I was carried 
into the house of John Matson, where the peo- 
ple, who, to me, were all strangers, concluded 
to call for Dr. Hyde. His charges for the time 
and two or three subsequent visits, were twenty 
dollars. Mr. Matson's charges were twelve 
dollars for ten days ; at the end of which I re- 
moved to a private dwelling. And after a con- 
tinuance in the place of about five weeks, I took 
passage in a boat of the pilot line, and proceeded 
to Buffalo. 

Towards the last of the time of my being at 
Rochester, I heard a discourse of the Rev. Mr. 
Finney from 2 Corinthians v. 17. The Rev. 
Dr. Penney, I think, was present, through whom 
I received soon after my arrival at Rochester, 
§2,50. A collection for me, was also taken by 
Rev. Dr. Comstock of seventeen dollars. I saw 
him in Boston, in June, 1834, with his son, who 
was one of the missionaries that sailed for Bur- 
mah. 



99 

Having paid for my board and other expens- 
es, I paid Dr. Hyde seven dollars, (which, in the 
opinion of Dr. Penney and others, was all that 
he ought to demand) and having proffered my 
note for the remainder ; (which however he re- 
fused to accept;) I entered the boat above nam- 
ed, and had been on the way about two hours, 
when I observed on the tow-path a number of 
fellows rude and noisy in pursuit of our boat. 
One of them, soon after, by some means or oth- 
er, having succeeded in boarding it, urged his 
way into the cabin in which I was sitting, being 
barely able to get about with my crutches, and 
putting his hand on my shoulders, pronounced 
me his prisoner. He had a paper with him 
that he called a writ, which, on account of 
his ignorance he was unable to read. He 
endeavored to persuade me to go on deck. But 
as I had no occasion, and it would put me to 
some trouble, I rather preferred to remain in 
the cabin. Finding me to be fixed in my pur- 
pose, he was, at length, persuaded by some of 
the passengers, to quit the cabin and return to 
the deck. There he was assailed by the hands 
that belonged to the boat ; from whom he was 
as glad to escape with his shirt and other gar- 
ments greatly tattered and torn, as he had, pre- 
viously, been ready to come on board. 

Dr. Hyde, in the mean time, was seen upon 
horseback, in pursuit of the boat ; and having 
passed into the adjoining county, and obtained 
another sheriff, they came on board from some 
bridge under which the boat passed ; and liav- 



100 

Ing searched every part of it, except the ladies' 
cabin, whither I was permitted to retire for con- 
cealment, they withdrew from the boat, without 
having achieved the object for which the jour- 
ney of the doctor from Rochester had been un- 
dertaken. He was, nevertheless, too eager for 
more money, to procure him a new coat, to give 
up the chase, without making a more vigorous 
onset on a feeble individual, in a land of stran- 
gers, and unable to walk without crutches. He 
continued, therefore, upon the tow-path, and fol- 
lowed the boat till we came to Brockport. Here 
they were detained several hours discharging 
goods from the boat and receiving more for an- 
other market. While this was being done, with 
ample time for thorough search, my retreat was 
discovered ; and having surrendered every cent 
I had in the world, the mercenary doctor moun- 
ted his horse in high glee, and sped him away 
upon the full gallop. 

The master of the boat was a young man of 
agreeable manners ; and as I wished to pay him 
if I had any thing with me he was willing to 
take, I offered him Webber's Mathematics, from 
which he deducted my fare, and paid me for the 
remainder in money ; so that when I arrived at 
Buffalo, I had somewhat left for further uses. 

The two aqueducts not far from Albany, the 
aqueduct at Rochester, and the embankment a 
little below, excited my admiration as masterly 
specimens of skill and ingenuity. My admira- 
tion was still further excited in viewing the 
locks, at Lockport, and the deep cut beyond, of 



101 

several miles, through the solid rock. I observ- 
ed, moreover, at the entrance of the locks, on a 
slab of marble, the following inscription : — 

ERIE CANAL. 

Let posterity be excited to perpetuate our 
Free Institutions ; 

and to make still greater efforts than their ancestors to promote 
Public Prosperity, by the recollection that the works of 

Internal Improvement 

were achieved by the 

Sfirit and Perseverance 

of 

Republican Freemen. 

At Buffalo I called on the Rev. Mr. Handy ; 
who, I have since heard, has gone to his grave, 
by whom I was assisted in pursuing my journey. 
For the more social and pleasant accommoda- 
tions of the cabin, a deck passenger's fare suffi- 
ced, for me, the master of the steamboat Ohio, 
who left me in the evening at Erie, Pa. where I 
was kindly received and entertained by E. Gun- 
nison, Esq. At Erie I took the stage by the 
way of Meadville, Mercer and Butler, for Pitts- 
burgh ; where I called upon the Rev. Samuel 
Williams, and received of his church in aid of 
my journey, ten dollars. On my arrival there, 
overcome with fatigue, after stopping a few days 
to recruit, I engaged a passage in the stage to 
Washington ; where 1 called upon the Rev, 
9* 



102 

Charles Wheeler, and also, upon a gentleman in 
the village, whose name I forget, though he was 
one of the proprietors of the stage from Balti- 
more to Wheeling, and gave me my fare to Un- 
iontown, and a half dollar, with which I paid 
for my dinner. From Uniontown I proceeded 
about ten miles, whence, having written to my 
brother-in-law, he came with his carry-all, and 
we travelled together to the village of Middle- 
town. 

There, for a while, being pleasantly employed 
in instructing my sister's children, and a few 
of the neighbor's, I indited for my niece, Eliza- 
beth Cheever Parsons, of eleven years, the let- 
ter she addressed, in reply to one she received 
of her cousin Dwight of Belchertown, Ms. of 
which the following is a copy : — 

Middletown, Monongalia Co. Va. 4th Dec. 1830. 
Dear cousin — Your favor of March last came 
duly to hand. An apology is justly due for our 
neglect in not replying to it before. Our dear 
mother w T as then confined by sickness. With 
her subsequent imperfect recovery to health, 
there was less ability and more care : and fath- 
er, you know, has always enough to do, and ma- 
ny claims upon his time which are indispensa- 
ble. The tender age of your cousin Elizabeth 
will apologize for her ; and her not having soon- 
er taken the place of her mother in replying to 
your favor, you will not, we trust, be willing to 
impute to any want of affection, but rather to 
the want she must feel of those attainments, 



103 

which, every clay's application is doing some- 
thing to obviate. 

We have a minister here from the Princeton 
Seminary. He has established a Bible Class ; 
which is attended on Friday evening at candle 
lighting. We have, also, a Sunday School, 
which is opened at half past nine o'clock, A. M. 

Uncle Cheever, who was nearly five weeks 
detained at Rochester, N. Y. with a broken 
limb, is now with us, instructing me and my 
brothers and sisters. On his way here he stop- 
ped at Troy, N. Y. and saw uncle Gould Par- 
sons, who wrote us respecting the death of his 
daughter Philura. Mention was also made of 
the then recent departure for Belchertown, Ms. 
of our cousin Joann Bridgman, who had been a 
disciple of the Female Seminary in that city, 
and a boarder with them the summer past. He 
also attended divine service and passed the Sab- 
bath at Amsterdam, not knowing that aunt Ex- 
perience, the wife of Mr. Livingston, was living 
in that village. 

The tidings brought by your letter of the 
death of uncle Rosk, was very mournful and ve- 
ry affecting ; and the more so on account of the 
dreadfully aggravating manner of his death, and 
the trivial nature of the circumstances which 
led to it. May wisdom and grace from on high 
be imparted to us, to look back upon the event 
with that humility, in the light of which, our 
exemption and escape from disasters alike pain- 
ful and afflictive, shall be regarded as owing: en- 
tirely to that kind and merciful Providence, 



104 

which orders the goings and superintends the 
concerns and the destinies of all. If such atro- 
city can escape unpunished by the civil Courts, 
that are constituted for the execution of justice ; 
it must, notwithstanding, be a shame to the com- 
munity in which it was perpetrated ; and can- 
not fail of meeting, in time, or eternity, its right- 
eous retribution. We hope that affectionate and 
kind friends will appear in behalf of his survi- 
ving spouse, and the dear little one he left be- 
hind him, through the tender mercies of Him, 
who is a Father of the fatherless in his Holy 
habitation. 

The poverty or affluence of Mr. Livingston is 
of little or no consequence, when the things 
temporal are considered in contrast with the 
things eternal, and the unspeakable loss he must 
sustain, if he have no title to a heavenly inherit- 
ance. 

We were pleased to hear about aunt Melissa ; 
(Isham,) it would please us more to see her, and 
our cousins, Jane and Philura — Maria. Our 
cousin William Bridgman, we conclude is a mil- 
itary genius, and that he thinks that an educa- 
tion at West Point, will be a better one for him, 
than any he can get in any Seminary in the 
United States. 

We can hardly realize that our cousin Julia 
has become a mother ; and though " folks" may 
tell aunt Anny that she looks younger than eith- 
er of her daughters ; wc cannot wonder at her 
feeling old. 



105 

Cousin Emily may take lessons in music ; but 
we are poor, and must learn something besides 
playing on a piano forte. 

We hope that cousin William will excell in 
his profession ; and that if cousin Parsons is a 
farmer, he will not think it beneath him to be 
adding to his property by the sweat of his brow. 

We think the marriage of your minister to 
Maria Flint, of Munson, will make him seem 
more like one of your own family ; and that 
from the alteration and enlargement of your 
meeting house, it must look quite like a new 
one. 

Mention of the death of the Rev. Mr. Porter 
and his wife, we saw in the newspapers. 

We had heard of the death of Laura Chapin ; 
but the first intelligence we had of the death of 
her brother, who removed to Troy, was received 
by your letter. 

Brother John, we think, is no less deaconish 
in his looks than he used to be. Cordelia- 
Grace, Philo-Philips, and Harriet-Newell, are 
pure Virginians, and unwilling, we presume, to 
be thought inferior to the children of Massachu- 
setts. Your affectionate cousin, 

Elizabeth Cheever Parsons. 

P. S. We occupy for a school room the cham- 
ber over the parlor ; the kitchen under it, has a 
grate in one side of the fire place for coal ; in 
the other side we burn wood when wanted. 

E. C. P. 



106 

But my sister's not being pleased with the 
change of my sentiments, becoming, eventually, 
a source of uneasiness, induced me to leave. In 
the month of April, 1831, I took passage in a 
boat, with a family in that vicinity, who were 
removing to the state of Indiana. At Pitts- 
burgh, Pa. I took my leave of them, and proceed- 
ed to Georgetown, Pa. where for a few weeks, I 
engaged in a school to replenish my funds. In 
the month of June I returned to Massachusetts. 

Having stopped a few days at Cummington, 1 
travelled, by short stages, on foot, to Boston, and 
thence to Manchester, where I called upon my 
old friend, the Rev. Samuel Emerson, for w T hom 
I preached, from 1 Corinthians, ii. 2. and 2 
Corinthians, viii. 9. and received, through the 
liberality of his people, about fifteen dollars. A 
deacon of one of the Baptist churches in Salem, 
gave me a dollar, my cousin, Sarah Savage, a 
hat, with other articles, and a dollar in money ; 
with which, in addition to a few dollars from an- 
other quarter, I purchased cloth for a suit of 
clothes ; towards the making of which, I was 
assisted by the Rev. John Todd, of Groton, 
William Chaplin, Esq. and deacon Adams and 
others. 

During the Autumn and Winter and following 
Spring, I preached, occasionally, as health per- 
mitted, and Providence appeared to open a door, 
and in the month of July, engaged as an agent 
to procure subscribers for the Comprehensive 
Commentary. 



107 

In the month of March, I received from my 
sister, in Boston, a letter, a copy of which, it is 
thought proper, in this place, to present the rea- 
der : — 

Boston, 5th March, 1832. 

Dear Brother — I was highly gratified with the 
reception of your kind letter, which I did not 
receive until more than a month from its date. 
S. Whitney, Esq. called at the shop. I saw him 
a few moments — invited him to call again — Did 
not inquire particularly for you, as I presumed 
the letter would inform me — but was disappoint- 
ed that it did not more particularly. Will hope, 
however, that you are comfortable. 

Am pleased that you were prospered in get- 
ting your clothes made. Hope you will keep up 
good heart, for although you have passed through 
the furnace of affliction, no doubt, you feel in- 
creasing cause to sing of the mercy of the Lord, 
who has led you through so many dreary paths, 
and still has not forsaken you. 

" The soul that on Jesus has leaned for repose, 
He will not, he will not desert to his foes ; 
That soul, though all hell should endeavor to 

shake, 
He'll never — no never — no never forsake. " 

I rejoice if there is any encouragement to 
hope that your health is improving. O may it 
be restored ! that the talents which heaven has 
lavished upon you, may be exerted in winning 
many precious souls to Christ, and causing even 



108 

angels to tune their harps at the joyful news 
that the Redeemer's kingdom is advancing on 
earth. At this interesting period, when the 
Spirit of God is so copiously poured out, how en- 
couraging is the thought, that " the effectual, 
fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth 
much." If, then, we are what we profess, we 
have encouragement to pray. 

The many sudden and striking deaths which 
have occurred the winter past, have taken many 
faithful servants of the Lord from the field in 
which they actively labored, and from which, to 
human eyes, they could hardly be spared. Bos- 
ton has rarely been visited with so much sick- 
ness as the season past. " In the midst of life 
we are in death." This morning, heard of the 
death of one of the senate. He was from Attle- 
borough, and an acquaintance of my husband's. 
Rev. Dr. Wisner has been sick ; and his voice 
is so much impaired as to render it necessary 
for him to remove to a warmer clime. 

We are all very well at the present. Aunts 
have both been sick — aunt Elizabeth with the 
influenza — Did not think she would recover. 

The religious state of feeling is rather increas- 
ing at Pine St. Several protracted meetings 
have recently been held. Have not heard par- 
ticulars respecting them. There is an interest- 
ing state of feeling at Weymouth, of which, I 
heard some account ; and at Attleborough. We 
are still destitute of a settled minister ; but are 
hoping soon to have one. Have, however, been 
highly favored with excellent preaching. 



109 

And now, dear brother, I. must close by wish- 
ing you much peace and prosperity, both in bo- 
dy and mind. Aunts and husband unite with 
me in love. Your affectionate sister, 

Abby W. Carpenter, 

In the latter part of the succeeding Autumn 
and Winter, I was employed by a little Baptist 
Society in Deerfield ; but my health was not suf- 
ficient to allow me to continue my labors with 
them, as they wished me to do. From that time 
to this, I have preached but seldom, and have 
found it difficult barely to live. 

In the Summer of 1834, I undertook, on foot, 
a tour to Providence, Newport, Norwich and 
New Haven, as agent for the sale of a patent 
right for an improved method of tanning Moroc- 
co, &c. &c. — but without success. 

I concluded, therefore, as life was fast wear- 
ing away, and its powers and capacities of body 
and mind were continually possessing less and 
less energy and promptitude for any emergency 
that might call for its services, while memory 
was alike losing its hold of its past occurren- 
ces ; if an outline of its history could be of 
any use to the reading community, that 1 must 
apply myself to a preparation of the work with- 
out loss of time. It is now submitted to the 
Public with sincere endeavors to " nothing ex- 
tenuate, and to set down nought in malice ;" 
that the truth may go forth without a covering, 
and gather up the spontaneous harvest of its 
own fruit, as its own legitimate reward. 
10 



110 

Bro. Alanson Reed, who united with the 
Baptist church in this place about two years be- 
fore me, was, on Monday last, examined and ap- 
proved by the American Baptist Board of For- 
eign Missions, to be employed, with two others 
from Virginia, as missionaries to Bankck, in 
Siam. In discoursing, yesterday morning, from 
Isaiah xl. 1, he remarked, that to be an ambas- 
sador for Christ — a laborer for God — a herald of 
salvation to them that are ready to perish — he 
regarded as a greater honor than though the 
crown of England were to be placed upon his 
head. — That the church, of which he was a 
member, should esteem it a privilege, that they 
were thus permitted, in the providence of God, 
to part with one of their number to be employ- 
ed as a missionary upon heathen shores : And 
that instead of yielding to despondency at the 
removal of their minister, (Bro. Lovell Ingalls, 
who had been preaching to them since the lat- 
ter part of November last,) they ought rather to 
rejoice that he, too, had been commissioned to 
carry the lamp of life to the benighted Burman. 
He preached, P. M. from Matt. vi. 33, and Eph. 
iv. 1. Four others, who were also examined, 
at the same time, received their designation as 
missionaries ; one to France, one to Madras?, 
one to China, and one to Burmah. Rev. Mr. 
Church of Amherst preached on the hill. 

May the dear church in Cummington. unexpected'^- deprived 
of the ministrations of one esteemed by ail. and who. on that 
account, are going forth with weeping, scatter much in their 
way of the precious seed of salvation by Christ, and come 
again, in due time, with rejoicing and bringing their sheaves 
wiili them. 

Cummington, Mass, 10th August, 181 



DISCOURSES. 



THE CLAIMS OF GOD. 

We also are men of like passions with you, and preach unto 
you, that ye should turn from these vanities unto the living 
God, who made heaven and earth, and the sea, and all 
things that are therein. — Acts xiv. 15. 

The Pagan idolaters, of whom mention is 
made in this chapter, being struck with aston- 
ishment at the unexpected cure of the impotent 
man, which took place at the command of Paul, 
in the name of Jesus of Nazareth, were prepar- 
ing to pay to him and Barnabas the same reli- 
gious homage, which, in conformity to customa- 
ry usage, they ascribed to imaginary deities. 
And when the people saw what Paul had done, 
they lifted up their voices, saying in the speech 
of Lyconia, The gods are come down to us in 
the likeness of men. And they called Barnabas 
Jupiter, and Paul Mercurius, because he was 
the chief speaker. Then the priest of Jupiter, 
who was before their city, brought oxen and 
garlands unto the gates, and would have done 
sacrifice with the people, which, when the apos- 
tles Barnabas and Paul heard of, they rent their 
clothes, and ran in among the people, Crying 
out, and saying, Sirs, why do ye these things ! 
Wc, also, are men of like passions with you, and 



112 

preach unto you, that ye should turn from these 
vanities unto the living God, which made heav- 
en and earth, and the sea, and all things that 
are therein. Who in times past suffered all na- 
tions to walk in 'their own ways. Nevertheless, 
he left not himself without witness, in that he 
did good, and gave us rain from heaven, and 
fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food and 
gladness. And with these sayings scarce res- 
trained they the people, that they had not done 
sacrifice unto them. 

So debased and fallen is every imagination of 
the heart, that the most exalted honor man is 
capable of conferring, is accounted inadequate 
to the merits of certain individuals, with whom 
he w T ishes to be thought the particular and inti- 
mate friend. And in consequence of certain 
qualifications, wealth, or popular talents, a hope 
is entertained of gaining something by the con- 
nection. This was, doubtless, the expectation 
of the idolatrous worshipers, of whom mention 
is made in the context. They therefore came 
forward with oxen and garlands, for the purpose 
of doing sacrifice to Paul and Barnabas, by 
whom the miraculous cure of the impotent man 
had been recently performed. This, it appears, 
w r as very disgusting to the apostles, who forbid 
and peremptorily rebuked them. While, doubt- 
less, they endeavored to explain to them the 
unity of the Godhead : and to show them the 
absurdity of believing in a multiplicity of deities 
invested with attributes assignable to Him 
only, who made heaven and earth; and the sea ; 



113 

and all things that are therein : — Assuring 
them, that, like themselves, they, too, were 
formed of the dust of the earth, and were sub- 
ject to like passions ; and that He, only, in 
whom we live and move and have our being, 
had a right to the empire of the heart and a 
claim to Divine honors. — That the paying of 
Divine honors to beings subject to like passions 
with themselves were vanities, which they were 
entreated to forsake immediately, confessing 
their manifold and aggravated offences to Him, 
who had hitherto winked at the times of this ig- 
norance ; though He left not Himself without 
witness, in that He did good, and gave us rain 
from heaven and fruitful seasons filling our 
hearts with food and gladness. For the invisi- 
ble things of Him from the creation are clearly 
seen, even His eternal power and godhead : so 
that they are fools and without excuse, who 
withhold from Him the entire and undivided 
homage of the whole heart. But, notwithstand- 
ing the reasoning of the apostles, to bring light 
and conviction to the mind and conscience, 
i hey were scarcely restrained that they had not 
done sacrifice unto them. 

The wayward follies of man will never be re- 
moved till the ringer of God has written in the 
fleshy tables of the heart His holy law, and 
thus, by transferring its affections from the 
world to Him, has formed it lor His pra 
Till a change, like that expressed by a new cre- 
ation, a beincr born again, has passed upon ir 
mrivalied 

10* 



114 

given to the cares, pursuits and pleasures of the 
world ; and unless we are awakened, in some 
measure, to a sense of our guilt and danger, 
neither the thunders of Sinai, nor death with all 
its terrors in array before us, can have any ef- 
fect in persuading us to turn our thoughts to 
the kingdom of God, and bid them, adieu — or 
even to relinquish them for a single day. 

The heart, my hearers, is deceitful above all 
things and desperately wicked. It is a cage of 
every unclean and hateful bird. It is a foun- 
tain of pollution, from which nothing actuated 
by the love of God and the interest of His king- 
dom can possibly proceed. And the gospel of 
the grace of God is utterly inadequate, in it- 
self, to disengage our affections from the van- 
ities of the world, till impressed upon the 
heart with the Holy Ghost sent down from heav- 
en, it brings to view the lost and ruined condi- 
tion of human character, and the expiation pro- 
vided for its renewal again in the divine image, 
aud in strains as sweet as angels use, whispers 
peace to the soul. If they are called upon to 
choose for themselves whom they will serve, 
their affections preponderate in favor of the god 
of this world, to whom they say in their hearts : 
Be thou our eternal portion ; for there is none 
on earth whom we desire in comparison of thee. 

O, you marble hearts, hitherto insensible to 
the terrors of the Lord and the grace of His 
gospel ! may you, this day, be persuaded to turn 
from these vanities to Him, who made heaven 
and earthy and the sea^ and all things that are 



115 

therein. The concerns of the gospel, my hear- 
«rs, are momentous, and of infinite consequence. 
Embracing or rejecting them will decide our 
condition in the world to come. If its splendor 
be obscured by the god of this world, so that 
the light of this glorious gospel of Christ, who 
is the image of God, do not shine unto you, it 
will come to you rather as the rant of a babbler, 
or the subtle device of cunning craftiness, than 
the power of God and the wisdom of God ; and 
unmoved by the infinitely interesting nature and 
solemnity of the subjects which it brings before 
you ; your hearts will go forth, in quest of the 
cares, pursuits and pleasures of the world, with 
the same avidity, as they were ever pursued by 
the superstitious and unenlightened at any for- 
mer period. And when the day shall have 
come, when every one, according to deeds done 
here in the body, shall pass, in view of assem- 
bled worlds, its solemn test of approbation or 
condemnation ; what, think you, will be the end 
of those who do not obey it 1 Will you plead 
your fondness for wealth, dissipation and pleas- 
ure., and the numberless fascinating amusements 
which stupefy the soul, and render it deaf to the 
tenderness of its invitations, and omnipotent au- 
thority of its righteous retributions? Will you say 
that the concerns of the world so completely occu- 
pied your thoughts and engrossed your attention, 
that, like Felix, who said to Paul, when he rea- 
soned with him of righteousness, temperance 
and judgment to come — " Go thy way for this 
time ;' ; — you had no convenient season ol 



116 

preparation for the last account you must give, 
hereafter, of deeds done here in the body ? 
Alas ! miserable indeed will be this, and every 
other excuse, which the ingenuity of man can 
fabricate, when summoned with assembled 
worlds to the judgment of the great day. 

I tremble in view of the unchangeable nature 
of divine truth, and the eternity of consequences 
connected with meekly receiving it as the word of 
God which liveth and abideth for ever, and proud- 
ly rejecting it, by turning it into a lie through the 
inventions of philosophy, falsely so called, and 
vain deceit. For, " Who among us can abide 
this consuming fire ? Who among us can abide 
these continued burnings 1" Separate from 
Thee, where, Lord, shall- we seek for happi- 
ness ? Excluded the light of the Sun of righte- 
ousness, of what avail will be all the wealth, 
pomp and splendor of a vain world ? Will the 
multitude of all nations on whom the sentence, 
depart, will then be pronounced, serve in any 
measure to mitigate your torments ? 

My brethren, says James, have not the faith 
of our Lord Jesus Christ the Lord of glory witli 
respect of persons. For if there come unto 
your assemby a man with a gold ring in goodly 
apparel, and there come in also a poor man in 
vile raiment ; and ye have respect to him that 
weareth the gay clothing, and say unto him, sit 
thou here in a good place, and say to the poor, 
stand thou there, or sit here under my footstool ; 
are ye not then partial in yourselves, and are be- 
come judges of evil thoughts ? We also are 



117 

Baen of like passions with you- — we are all lia- 
ble to errors of this kind — to make improper 
and undue distinctions among men — to boast of 
our wealth— which, says Solomon, is the strong 
city of the rich man, — or fame, or real or sup- 
posed attainments. These are vanities. And 
we preach unto you, that ye should turn from 
ihese vanities unto the living God. 
Let us then consider, 

First, The apostle's concession, We also are 
men of like passions with you; and 

Secondly, The exhortation, We preach unto 
you, that ye should turn from these vanities un- 
to the living God ; and 

Thirdly, What is implied in these vanities, 
and the turning from them unto the living God., 
which the text enjoins. 

First. Let us consider the apostle's conces- 
sion, We also are men of like passions with you. 

The apostle's concession that they were men 
of like passions with the pagan idolaters was an 
indication of meekness, humility and candor. 
Like a city set upon a hill, it presented to be- 
holders, in a light like the sun at noon day, a 
lowliness of character like the Teacher of Naz- 
areth, who went about doing good, and when he 
was reviled, reviled not again. It told to the 
reason and understanding of common sense a 
spirit and temper the very opposite of that ex- 
hibited by Herod, when, seated upon his throne 
in royal apparel, he made an oration to the peo 
pie, who crave a -bout, saying, It is the voice ol 
a £cd and not of a man. And immediately the 



118 

angel of the Lord smote him, because he gave 
not God the glory. And he was eaten of worms, 
and gave up the ghost. Here we see the conse- 
quence of a creature's assuming to himself the 
glory that belonged to the Creator and Lord of 
all. We also are men of like passions with you, 
and preach unto you, that ye should turn from 
these vanities unto the living God. That the 
apostles had done so — that they followed in the 
steps of their Divine Master, and drank deeply 
into the spirit which brought him from heaven 
to earth ; their concession that they were men 
of like passions with all other allied to flesh and 
blood, was a practical demonstration, asserting 
the unimpeachableness of their motives and char- 
acter, which none of their adversaries could 
gainsay or resist. 

It w r as a testimonial, and the best they could 
have, of their readiness to give to every one his 
due — fear to whom fear, honor to whom honor — 
and therefore of their readiness to render to 
Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God 
the things that are God's : — That they did not 
afflict and oppress their fellow creatures, at a 
time when they w r ere under peculiar embarrass- 
ments, by taking any undue advantage of them 
in such circumstances. That, on the contrary, 
they were ready, at all times, to every good 
work, like the good Samaritan, seeking out ob- 
jects of distress and wretchedness — administer- 
ing the oil of joy to the disconsolate mourner 
and the balm of consolation to the afflicted and 
heavy of heart — bearing patiently the cross of 



119 

Christ with submissive fortitude and christian 
resignation, at all times and in all circumstan- 
ces, through evil report and good report, and 
embracing every opportunity of doing good to all. 

It was conviction, itself, that they knew how 
they ought to answer every man — that their 
speech was always with grace seasoned with 
salt — that sweetness of the lips which increaseth 
learning — and that they were careful to shun 
the appearance of evil, and to walk as Christ 
walked. 

It was an open epistle, which all could read, 
of the assurance they had that every good and 
perfect gift was a bestowment of unmerited 
grace — that they were not high minded — that 
they did not trust in uncertain riches, but in the 
living God, who giveth richly ail things to enjoy. 

It was a witness for them wherever they 
went, that they did not sound a trumpet before 
them to congregate witnesses of their deeds of 
mercy — but, that actuated by the purest motives 
of true benevolence, they carefully avoided any 
hasty decision in which the character of a 
neighbor was concerned, diligently and uniform- 
ly seeking the things which make for peace, 
and things with which they might edify one 
another. — Let us then consider, 

Secondly, The exhortation, we preach unto 
you, that ye should turn from these vanities unto 
the living God. 

Is there any impropriety in this request ? 
Now, then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as 
though God did beseech you by us, we pray you 



120 

in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God As 
the captives of sin and under bonds by the 
prince of darkness, we proclaim in your hearing 
the arrival of a year of Jubilee— a day of salva- 
tion—a time of peace and good will to men, 
through him who cometh from Edom with dyed 
garments from Bozrah — glorious in his apparel, 
marching on to victory in the greatness of his 
strength — speaking in righteousness, mighty to 
save. If you will allow him the honor of the 
benevolent part he acted when he said : Cf Lo 
I come to do thy will, O God ;" and submitting 
to shame and spitting, was set forth a propitia- 
tion through faith in his blood, to declare his 
righteousness for the jemission of sins that are 
past through the forbearance of God — -I say, 
His righteousness, that He might be just, and 
the justifier of him that believeth in Jesus ; we 
can assure you of a release from the thraldom of 
sin, and the setting open to you of the doors of 
your prison, that you may go forth in all the 
vigor and energy of your noblest powers, to 
praise Him for His goodness and wonderful 
works to the children of men. If as undeserv- 
ing and condemned criminals you will accept 
salvation as a free gift of unmerited grace pro- 
cured by Christ through the blood of his cross ; 
you shall find in the secret place of the Most 
High a secure pavilion, and under his canopy 
an abode of safety ; for He that speaketh from 
heaven has given every possible encouragement 
to expect it, in declarations like these : i( If 
there be a messenger with him, an interpreter. 



121 

one among a thousand, to show unto man his 
uprightness : then he is gracious unto him, and 
saith, Deliver him from going down to the pit ; 
I have found a ransom. — He looketh upon men y 
and if any say, I have sinned, and perverted 
that which was right, and it profited me not ; 
He will deliver his soul from going into the pit, 
and his life shall see the light. Let the wicked 
forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his 
thoughts, and let him return unto the Lord and 
He will have mercy upon him, and to our God, 
for He will abundantly pardon. 

Who, then shall be justified that objects to 
the terms or that hears unmoved these glad ti- 
dings of great joy ? " For he that being often 
reproved hardeneth his neck, shall suddenly be 
destroyed and that without remedy. Who art 
thou, O man, that repliest against God ? Shall 
the thing formed say to Him that formed it, 
Why hast Thou made me thus ? Hath not the 
potter power over the clay of the same lump, to 
make one vessel unto honor, and another unto 
dishonor ? Is there unrighteousness with God ? 
God forbid : Yea let God be true but every man 
, a liar. 

To plead your inability of attending to the 
call of the Gospel and the message of mercy 
which it brings before you, is charging God 
with folly. And shall mortal man be more just 
than God ? Shall a man be more pure than his 
Maker ? We also are men of like passions with 
you, and preach unto you that ye should turn- 
from these vanities unto the living God. Lav 
11 



122 

aside every weight—reject whatever appears to 
stand in the way of your compliance with the 
exhortation which is now urged upon you await- 
ing the lapse, perhaps, only of a single day, for 
the summons of death to arrest and fix you in 
a world of spirits. A single day, did I say ? 
Who knows but that God may say to some of 
you, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be re- 
quired of thee ? But though sentence against 
an evil work may be delayed to be executed, let 
not any presume, from this expression of Divine 
forbearance, to encourage himself in the unbe- 
lief and negligence of the slothful servant ; for 
the Master will come when he is not aware — 
And who shall stand when once he is angry ? He 
has told us plainly to seek first the kingdom 
of God and his righteousness ; and whenever 
wealth, reputation, or honor, like that to which 
Balak thought of promoting Balaam, and from 
which he pronounced him kept back by the 
Lord oppose, we must bid them adieu ; though 
it may try us as much as to cut off a right hand. 
or to pluck out a right eye, if the interests of 
his kingdom require the sacrifice. 

You will say, perhaps, that your prejudices 
are deeply rooted — that your passions are obsti- 
nate and inflexible — that you are deeply immers- 
ed in the business and concerns of the world — 
and that regarding the exhortation to turn from 
its vanities to the living God, can be nothing 
more than a final adieu to your dearest favorites 
and best friends. 

<{ I pray thee have me excused," says Christ 



123 

in his parable, was the request of one, and 
another, and another, in which he tells us of a 
certain rich man who made a great feast, and 
bade many. And what was the consequence of 
these entreaties ? It was a fixed determination 
on the part of him by whom the invitation was 
made, that none of those that were bidden 
should taste of his supper. Rejoice, then, O 
young man, in thy youth, and let thine heart 
cheer thee in the days of thy youth, and walk in 
the ways of thine heart and in the sight of thine 
eyes ; but know thou that for all these things 
God will bring thee into judgment. For, " Be- 
hold/' says one, who had the honor of being the 
last of the prophets, till the voice of one crying 
in the wilderness announced the coming of him, 
who was a Priest for ever after the order of 
Melchisedeck ; " Behold the day cometh that 
shall burn as an oven, and all the proud, yea, 
and all that do wickedly shall be as stubble ; 
and the day that cometh shall burn them up, 
saith the Lord of hosts, that it shall leave them 
neither root nor branch 7 '. 

In this world all things come alike to all. 
But the time is coming in which a distinction 
will be made between the righteous and the 
wicked — the just and the unjust. He, who is 
the Discerner of the thoughts and intents of the 
heart, will see and reveal the true character of 
every individual. His all-seeing eye will per- 
vade the multitude of all nations who will then 
be summoned before him, and he will separate 
them one from another as a shepherd divideth 
the sheep from the goats 



124 

Let no man deceive himself with vain words, 
or presume to say in his heart, How doth God 
know ? And is there knowledge in the Most 
High ? Doth not He that pondereth the heart 
consider it ? And He that keepeth thy soul, 
doth not He know it V s And shall he not ren- 
der to every one according to his ways and ac- 
cording to the fruit of his doings ? Be entreat- 
ed, then, to turn from these vanities unto the 
living God. And be assured that the dew of 
youth — its strength of purpose and fervor of af- 
fection will please Him better than the odors of 
Eden. But let us consider, 

Thirdly ; What is intended by these vanities, 
and the turning from them unto the living God, 
which the text enjoins. The vanities from 
which the exhortation of the text is given ta 
turn, are pronounced in Scripture to be lying 
vanities ; and whenever there is a determination 
to surrender them up, the strong hold they had 
in the affections is broken ; and the Saviour 
to whom the penitent offender now looks, is said 
in mercy to deliver his soul, and to cast his sins 
behind his back. While his heart is set upon 
these vanities, the turning from which is enjoin- 
ed in the text, inspiration describes him as 
turning his back to the living God. 

Now all know, who have any knowledge of 
the proper treatment of one another, that the 
turning of the back to another, is a marked ex- 
pression of extreme dislike, or, what is worse, 
of undisguised contempt. The prophet Ahijah 
commissioned with heavy tidings to the wife of 



125 

Jeroboam, who came to inquire if his child that 
was sick would recover or not, assures her, as a 
token of the Divine displeasure that the child 
should die ; inasmuch as by setting up idols in 
his heart to provoke to anger the Holy One, he 
is said to cast Him behind his back. Will you, 
then, pursue a course so unseemly and unbe- 
coming 1 Will you show your indifference to 
the exhortation to turn from these vanities, by 
making it manifest that the love of the world 
with its fading pleasures and vain pursuits has 
the throne of your hearts, and has turned your 
back to the living God ? Will you testify your 
approbation of the people of Israel, who refused 
to hearken to the voice of their prophets rising 
early and teaching them, by casting His law be- 
hind your back ? 

Again, A turning from these vanities unto 
the living God, implies a heart uttering the pe- 
iion of the supplicating Psalmist : Turn away 
my eyes from beholding vanity — a surrendering 
to Him of its every affection — and a looking 
to Him as our Teacher and Guide, in whatever 
we may engage, or propose to undertake. This, 
then, is a work of solemn interest. And it be- 
comes us all, individually, to make the inquiry, 
deliberately and candidly — to examine the secret 
spring of the motives by which wp are actuated 
in public and private, at home and abroad — to 
see, whether, or not, there has been that, turn- 
ing of the whole heart, which the text enjoins. 
In the various duties and concerns of life, is 
II* 



126 

your entire dependence, like little children, on 
the only true Source, for wisdom and aid to do 
His commandments ? Are you less solicitous 
of the favor of men — of popular applause, repu- 
tation or wealth, than the favor and blessing of 
the Lord of glory ? 

An answer to these interrogations must be 
given in the affirmative : Otherwise it is to be 
feared, that you are still unacquainted with the 
spirit and power of the Gospel — that you have 
not yet parted with all for Christ and the inter- 
ests of his kingdom — that some darling passion, 
some favorite idol of the heart, is still withheld, 
cherished and venerated — and, in fine, that 
your righteousness is no other than that of the 
Scribes and Pharisees, which, at the judgment 
of the great day, will be found to be destitute of 
the wedding garment, indispensably requisite to 
your admission within the walls of the New Je- 
rusalem. Ah, fatal deception to those who shall 
never till too late have made the discovery ! 
May Heaven vouchsafe to preserve a most un- 
worthy servant from fixing the soul of any in 
this fatal delusion — this pit of irretrievable ruin. 

But, furthermore, if you have less concern of 
incurring the displeasure of a fallible creature 
than of falling a prey to the more dreadful 
displeasure, indignation and wrath of offended 
Deity : If the morning and evening sacrifice of 
praise and penitence is, daily, offered, with grat- 
itude for unnumbered mercies— with reiterated 
confessions of your numberless and aggravated 
offences— and for the aid vou need in the van= 



127 

ous duties connected with the daily occurrences 
and concerns of life : Tf you are less fearful of 
committing your all into the hands of Omnipo- 
tence, than of entrusting a part of your earthly 
inheritance to the care of a dying mortal : If 
you have tasted that the Lord is gracious : If 
the Saviour is precious and altogether lovely : 
If, without reserve, you have surrendered your all 
into the hands of Him, who, alone, is able to 
save to the uttermost : If all your hope of sal- 
vation is derived entirely from that blood of the 
covenant which opens to you a fountain for sin 
and uncleanness : — And, as the hart panteth for 
the water brooks, if you so pant for the living 
God — then, be assured, the Rock of ages will 
keep you ; and before his throne he will fix 
your dwelling. 

Finally, A turning from these vanities to the 
living God, implies an acknowledgment that 
the Giver of all good is most worthy of per- 
petual homage, gratitude and obedience. With- 
hold not good from them to whom it is due, 
when it is the power of thine hand to do it. 
Are we prohibited the withholding of that which 
belongs to a fellow mortal ? And shall we with- 
hold from Him that made us the willing service 
— the love and reverence — He expects and de- 
mands ? Do you solicit the favor of a fellow 
worm ? And do you say to your Creator, de- 
part from us, we desire not the knowledge of 
Thy ways ? Are you mindful of the thanks 
you owe to one another for temporal favors'? 
And are you unmindful of the gratitude and 



128 

praise that belong to Him who is daily loading 
you with benefits ; and to whom you are indebt- 
ed for the means of grace and the hope of glory I 
Do you see beauty in the light of science 1 And 
do you see no beauty in the light of that Gospel 
by which life and immortality are brought to 
light ? How preposterous and absurd the sup- 
position ! 

Hear then the voice of inspiration, the voice 
of God himself: " My son, give me thine 
heart." Aside from a cordial compliance with 
this command, though you may be seemingly 
faithful and loyal to institutions of lawful author- 
ity ; the motives that prompt it, will not be 
pleasing to Him who will accept of nothing but 
the whole heart. Will you then show by your 
obedience that you love his authority ? Will 
you not testify by submission to His will, that 
even now, you are partaking its sweets of un- 
mingled serenity and of heavenly joy, as dura- 
ble as the pearly gates of the holy city I 

Virtue is intrinsic happiness. She is a Tree 
of Life to the possessor. And under her shad- 
ow is a quietness as unalloyed as the River of 
Life ; and assurance for ever. " The ways of 
wisdom are ways of pleasantness : and all her 
paths are peace." But, " There is no peace to 
the wicked." Be entreated; then, to break oif 
your sins by righteousness. Spend your money, 
no longer, for that which is not bread — But let 
wisdom enter into your hearts ; and let your 
ears be open to her counsels ; and she will 



129 

bless you for ever with a crown of glory, and 
the harp of angels around the Throne. 

Need you then be told, dear hearers, that 
faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the 
word of God ? And, now, like the deaf adder 
which stoppeth her ears at the voice of the 
charmer charming ever so wisely, will you re- 
fuse to hearken ? Will you not rather listen to 
the message of mercy addressed to you in the 
name of the Lord? Shall not the love which 
the blessed Saviour has manifested, by laying 
aside a splendor too bright for the eye of mor- 
tals, which invested him on a throne of glory, 
to assume the form of a servant, and become of 
no reputation — by his forty days' and forty 
nights' fasting in the wilderness, being tempted 
of the devil — by the privations he felt from hav- 
ing no where to lay his head — by his contradiction 
of sinners against himself — by his bloody sweat 
in the Garden of Gethsemane — by his purple 
robe, his crown of thorns, and the cruel mock- 
ery and derision he underwent from Herod 
with his men of war — oh, shall not love so 
amazing, and which prompted to all this, con- 
strain you as perishing and empty beggars to 
accept, at his hands, the free pardon and eter- 
nal life, which he now proffers? For, " Behold 
now is the acepted time ; behold now is the 
day of salvation." 

Come then to this Physician, 
His help he'll freely give ; 



130 

He makes no hard condition — 
'Tis only — Look and live. 

Our Father who art in heaven, may thy word 
be heeded with that attention, which will rend- 
er us doers of the same and not hearers only. 
Let a surrender be made of our hearts to Thee. 
Let the law of love be written there with the 
ringer of God. Let our eyes be turned away 
from beholding vanity, and be lixed on Thee as 
our supreme good. Let none of us be puffed 
up with a vain conceit of our own attainments ; 
or with any capacities or endowments of mind 
by which, perhaps, we may have dazzled for a 
while, and excited the applause of admiring 
multitudes. And, lest, professing ourselves to 
be wise, we become fools, and expose ourselves 
to the awful retributions of their final doom ; 
grant that, renouncing our own righteousness, 
and submitting ourselves that to righteousness 
which is of God by faith, our understandings 
may not be darkened, or our minds blinded by 
the god of this world ; but that the light of the 
glorious Gospel of Christ, who is the image of 
God, may be poured, with unclouded glory, up- 
on our every step, and guide our feet into the 
way of peace. Oh, let the power of Thy grace 
be manifested in bringing us to a spiritual and 
saving acquaintance with our own hearts, and 
our exceeding vileness ; and in making us the 
subjects of that humility, and reverence, and god- 
ly fear, whereby we shall watch unto prayer, 



131 

and run the way of Thy commandments with 
increasing zeal, till we are fitted for the inher- 
itance of the saints in light. We ask these and 
all other favors in the Redeemer's Name ; to 
whom with Thee and the holy Spirit be honor 
and glory, for ever and ever. Amen. 



THE DEAD IN SIN MADE ALIVE, 

You hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and 
sins. — Ephesians ii. 1. 

Of the love of God, who is rich in mercy ? 
there have been exceedingly rich and glorious 
displays in every age of the world, For this the 
apostle, in his letter to the Ephesians, blesses 
" the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christy 
who had blessed them with all spiritual bless- 
ings in heavenly places in Christ ; according as 
he had chosen them in him before the founda- 
tion of the world, that they should be holy and 
without blame before Him in love ; having pre- 
destinated them, unto the adoption of children 
by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the 
good pleasure of His will." He attributes it, 
wholly, " to the praise of the glory of his grace,'' 
and " the great love with which he loved them, 
even when dead in sins," — that having " had 
their conversation in times past, in the lusts of 
the flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and 
of the mind ; and being by nature the children 
of wrath even as others — he had quickened 



132 

them together with Christ." He assumes it as 
a self-evident truth too plain to be confuted, 
that the whole human family were lost to all 
sense of the gratitude they owed to the Father 
of mercies — that moral death had overspread the 
whole intelligent creation — that the original 
brightness instamped upon man, when he first 
proceeded from the hand of his Creator, had be- 
come dim ; and that his uprightness of charac- 
ter, comparable to fine gold, was changed. The 
scriptural account appears to be this : — 

Man, created at first in the image of God, 
and strikingly distinguished from the unintelli- 
gent part of creation, by the more exalted pow- 
ers and faculties of his nature, was put under a 
law, in relation to which he was deeply interes- 
ted. Being the covenant head of his natural off- 
spring, to them, as w r ell as himself, his conduct, 
on that account, was of infinite consequence. 
In the day thou eatest thereof, thou shalt surely 
die ; was the threatening subjoined to this law ; 
which, by eating of the tree of knowledge of 
good and evil in the midst of the garden of 
Eden, he violated, and thus became dead in 
trespasses and sins. 

1. By reasoning out of the scriptures, and by 
noticing, briefly, a few things indicative of spir- 
itual death, we shall endeavor, in the first place, 
to show that all, by nature, are dead in sins. 

We are not to consider the apostle as address- 
ing the Ephesians in distinction from the rest of 
the world. For, all, saith he, have sinned, and 
come short of the glory of God. And, there is 



133 

none that doeth good, no, not one. And Solo- 
mon observes, that, As in water face answereth 
to face, so the heart of man to man. That men 
are naturally dead in trespasses and sins, ap- 
pears from the conduct of many who are seem- 
ingly left to the unrestrained exercise of their 
own propensities : else, why are so many pris- 
ons erected with massy doors and bolts and bars 
and locks and keys ; or why do we use them in 
our own dwellings ? Why, unless men are dead 
in trespasses and sins, do we see so many hate- 
ful and hating one another, devising means for 
the destruction of property, character, happi- 
ness ? Why, instead of seeking to promote the 
felicity and welfare of one another, and to di- 
minish the sources of distress and wretchedness, 
by speaking every one the truth to his neighbor, 
do they scornfully say : AVe have made a cove- 
nant with death, and with hell are we at agree- 
ment ; when the overflowing scourge shall pass 
through, it shall not come unto us ; for we have 
made lies our refuge, and under falsehood have 
we hid ourselves 1 Why do they take the ta- 
bret and harp and rejoice at the sound of the or- 
gan, not regarding the work of the Lord nor the 
operation of his hands ? Why are they continu- 
ally employed in the pursuit of wealth, reputa- 
tion, and pleasure, while wisdom, eternal wis- 
dom, more precious than rubies, with the Holy 
Ghost sent down from heaven, is freely offered 
without money and without price, and they pray 
to be excused accepting the blessing ? Why is 
it that we havo so many instance^ of fraud, op- 
12 



134 

pression, hypocrisy and double-dealing 1 (< Why 
seeing times are not hidden from the Almighty, 
do they that know him not see his days ? Some 
remove the landmarks ; they violently take away 
flocks and feed thereof; they drive away the 
ass of the fatherless ; they take the widow's ox 
for a pledge ; they turn the needy out of the 
\vay : the poor of the earth hide themselves to- 
gether. " 

But let us briefly notice more particular indi- 
cations of spiritual death. 

The unspotted purity of Joseph's life, and his 
fidelity as a servant, excited against him the 
wife of Potiphar ; at the instigation of whom, he 
was thrown into prison. 

And ivhen Saul perceived that David behaved 
himself 'wisely , he was both more afraid of him, 
' and more implacable — his odium was more in- 
veterate — and he was determined to destroy 
him, at the risk of whatever he might find it ne- 
cessary to encounter or suffer. Many good 
works, says our Lord to the Jews, I have receiv- 
ed of my Father ; for which of those works do ye 
stone me 1—Out of the heart proceed evil thoughts 
— and, ivith the heart man believeth unto righte- 
ousness. The heart, then, is the source or foun- 
tain of moral good or evil ; and the thoughts, 
words, and actions of men will be good or evil^ 
as is the heart from which they originate. 

O how love I thy law ! says the pious Psalm- 
ist, it is my meditation all the day. This is ex- 
pressive of that life of the Christian, to which 
the sinner dead in sins, is wholly opposed. Be- 



135 

cause the carnal mind is enmity against God; 
for it is not subject to the law of God, neither, 
indeed, can bc.-r-God saw that the wickedness of 
man was great in the earth ; and that every im- 
agination of the thoughts of his heart was only 
evil continually. 

It appears, in the second place, 
. II. As nothing short of Divine power is suffi- 
cient to raise the dead ; so can nothing short of 
Divine power impart life to the sinner dead in 
trespasses and sins. The hour cometh, says 
Christ, and now is, when the dead shall hear the 
voice of the Son of God ; and they that hear 
shall live. And, in the same discourse, he ob- 
serves, soon after : Marvel not at this ; for the 
hour is coming in the which all that are in their 
graves shall hear his voice; and shall come forth. 
Spiritual life or true holiness, in opposition to 
the death declared in the text, supposes a re- 
newal of the whole man after the image of God 
— a radical change of heart — and subjection to 
that law which the carnal mind hates and oppo- 
ses. This life-giving power belongs to him on- 
ly, who spake, and it was done ; because for a 
sinner dead in trespasses and sins, to restore 
himself to life, every one must see is impossible. 
Through the operation of this power, sinners 
dead in trespasses and sins, and by nature the 
children of wrath, and far from God, are made 

conformable to the image of his Son, and heirs 
of the same inheritance : — The. heart is chang 
ed ; the soul is emancipated; new heavens and 

i new ear tli are created ; new hopes arc cher 



136 

ished ; new fears are entertained ; new desires 
are manifested ; the sting of death drawn out ; 
and the powers and capacities of the soul elevated 
with joy, thanksgiving and praise, are employ- 
ed in the service of him, to whom they are in- 
debted for the hope of future blessedness and 
the purchase of redemption. By this power sin- 
ners dead in sins, even the most atrocious, are 
extricated from the captivity and dominion of 
him who is the prince of the power of the air, 
the spirit that now worketh in the children of 
disobedience — united as the branch is united to 
the vine to him whom they openly contemned 
and persecuted — redeemed from their vain con- 
versation — covered with the robe of righteous- 
ness and the garment of praise, and made a roy- 
al diadem in the hand of him, who is exalted to 
give repentance and remission of sins to all them 
that love his appearing. 

Such, brethren, are the effects of that power 
by which you are quickened, who were dead in 
trespasses and sins. The same power by which 
our Lord was raised from the dead, his body im- 
mortalized, reunited to its kindred spirit, and 
conducted to a world of glory, is manifested in 
the restoration of sinners dead in trespasses and 
sins, to a state of holiness and newness of life. 
Through the operation of this power sinners are 
are prepared to unite with saints and angels 
and glorified spirits in adoration and praise. 
They will sing as it were a new song ; and none 
will be able to learn it, but such as are the sub- 
of a spiritual resurrection, being redeemed 



137 

from among men. Redemption from eternal 
death was purchased at an infinite expense ; and 
is worthy of the power by which it is effected. 
This the saints will realize, and express by say- 
ing : Blessing, and honor, and glory, and power 
be unto Him who sitteth on the throne, and unto 
the Lamb for ever and ever. But, 

III. The sinner dead in trespasses and sins, be- 
ing quickened by the power of Divine grace, de- 
votes himself to God — becomes a suppliant at 
his footstool — and is stripped of all hopes of sal- 
vation from any deeds or performances done in 
dependence upon his own strength, accounting 
them as a rejected garment that he may win 
Christ. He laments that the fruit he bears, is 
so disproportionate to the cultivation bestowed 
upon him, and the fruitfulness of the soil, in 
which he is placed in the vineyard of his Lord. 
He feels that nothing would be more desirable 
than a higher and more complete ascendency 
over himself — over every unhallowed desire — 
over sin that dwelleth in him ; — than to possess 
more of the spirit and temper of his Divine Mas- 
ter ; — and that he can never be fully satislied 
till he awakes in his likeness. Hence, he is far 
from being satisfied with present attainments — 
inattentive to religious duties as if nothing more 
remained to be done — or fond of making known 
the erroneous conduct or criminality of a neigh- 
bor ; and though instances may be adduced, in 
which, for a time, he has been envious at the 
foolish, in view of the prosperity of the wicked 
yet this is, by no means, a coiiL-picuouL outline 

V J . > I 



138 

by which his character is generally known and 
delineated. He is anxious of making the best 
use of the opportunities and means with which 
Providence has favored him of doing good to all. 
He sits loose to the world, and is impelled to 
diligence, activity and exertion in the pursuits 
assigned him, by the love of God and the souls 
of men. He endeavors if possible to live peace- 
ably with all men — to fill up life with duty and 
usefulness — and to make such use of his time 
and talents as that he may not be found in the 
number of those to whose sentence the criminal- 
ity of sloth will be attached in the day of retri- 
bution. Whether he be rich or poor — whether 
his talents be many or few — he studiously and 
prayerfully endeavors to acquit himself in such a 
manner as that he may always be ready to meet 
and receive the approbation of his Judge. He 
possesses an open, ingenuous and forgiving tem- 
per ; and is ever ready to make suitable conces- 
sions for any inadvertency of wrong conduct or 
criminality, into which he may at any time have 
been drawn. He is the subject of all the graces 
which the Gospel inculcates, and would rather 
suffer by the rod of adversity than behave him- 
self in an unbecoming manner, inconsistent with 
the Christian character. He is the subject, es- 
pecially, of that charity which consists in reliev- 
ing the sick, afflicted and indigent, and which, 
in the day of retribution, will be brought into 
view as terms of approbation — That charity I 
say, which suffcreth long and is kind; which en- 
vieth not ; which vauntcih not itself 3 is not puff- 



139 

td up, doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh 
not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no 
evil; rejoiceth not in iniquity but rejoiceth in the 
truth ; beareth all things, believeth all things, 
hopeth all things, endureth all things. 

Again, Old things are passed away ; behold, 
all things are become new, in relation to the sin- 
ner dead in trespasses and sins, who is quicken- 
ed by the power of Divine grace. His thoughts 
and affections which before were occupied and 
engrossed in the objects of time and sense, are 
employed in the contemplation of Him, with 
whom he enjoys communion and fellowship, and 
to whom is made known his request, continual- 
ly* by P ra y er and supplication. He is likened to 
a tree in perpetual verdure bringing forth his 
fruit in his season. Others, as well as himself, 
are profited, and delighted by his beauty and 
comeliness. 

The newness of life for which the saint is dis- 
tinguished, appears, also, by his love of Divine 
truth. Whatever may be his regard for the 
world, the love of God preponderates, and far 
outweighs every earthly object and enjoyment. 
For the truth of this he appeals to the Almighty 
himself : Whom have I in heaven but Thee ; 
and there is none on earth I desire besides Thee. 
He is, hereby, led to that patience and fortitude 
in adversity, and equanimity in every condition 
of life, by which he distinguishes himself from 
the men of the world — who are heady, high- 
minded and imperious — who mind earthly things 
— and are lovers of pleasure mure than lovers of 



140 

God. He, on the contrary, in view of the per- 
ishable nature of sublunary felicity, regards it as 
nothing worth, in comparison of the glory that 
remains to be revealed. Forgetting the things 
that are behind, and reaching forward to those 
that are before; he presses toward the mark, for 
the prize of the high calling of God in Christ 
Jesus. 

Reviewing this discussion the first thought is, 

1. As it is impossible not to see a difference 
between day and night ; so the change produced 
in sinners dead in trespasses and sins, who are 
quickened by the power of Divine grace, is not 
less surprising and evident. 

Sinners, by nature, are proud and disdainful ; 
by grace condescending and humble : by nature, 
opposed to the Divine law, character and gov- 
ernment ; by grace in subjection to the Father 
of Spirits : by nature the children of darkness, 
and even darkness itself ; by grace the children 
of light and of the day. For ye were sometimes 
darkness, says Paul to the saints at Ephesus, but 
now are ye light in the Lord. Such, then, is 
the difference between the saint and the sinner. 
Is it possible then for the eye of observation not 
to discern it ? The heart is deceitful. And a 
counterfeit religion is too common. Let us then 
examine ourselves. With David let us pray in- 
dividually : Search me, O God, and know my 
heart ; try me and know my thoughts ; and see 
if there be any wicked ivay in me, and lead me 
in the way everlasting. 

It is impossible to overlook the contrast which 



141 

js here drawn between the saint and the sinner. 
And unless we are the subjects of a spiritual 
resurrection, created in Christ Jesus unto good 
works : our religion is a mere form — our pro- 
fession an empty one, and worse than nothing. 
All belong to one or other of the characters here 
described. All are the children and servants 
of that wicked one ; or the servants of the Most 
High, and the heirs of glory. All are in the 
way to life and immortal felicity ; or pressing 
on in the broad way to death and everlasting 
perdition. No intermediate description of char- 
acters is recorded in the Gospel. For, He that 
is not icith me says Christ, is againt me. While, 
on the one hand, The delight of the godly is in 
the law of the Lord; in rvhich he meditates day 
and night : — On the other hand, The ungodly 
are not so: but are as the chaff which the wind 
driveth aicay — as the troubled sea, ichen it can- 
not rest — looking for happiness in the pursuit of 
corruptible things — laboring for the meat that 
perisheth. There is no fear of God before their 
eyes. It hence appears that the character of 
the righteous and that of the wicked is directly 
opposite, and altogether different the one from 
the other. It is also apparent that, 

2. Sinners dead in trespasses and sins will re- 
main as they are, till power from on high is giv- 
en them to become the sons of God, through the 
operation of his Holy Spirit creating them in 
Christ Jesus unto good works ; which he before 
lined thai they should walk in them — by caus- 
ing them to become subjects of spiritual and Di- 



14-2 

vine life. As clay is in the hands of the potter . 
so are sinners in the hands of Him, who hath 
mercy on whom he will have mercy — displaying 
the sovereignty of his will and pleasure in set- 
ting up one, and putting down another — in rais- 
iug the needy from the dunghill — in turning the 
heart of kings as the rivers of water are turned 
— in destroying the hope of man — and in order- 
ing all things for his own glory. He who can 
raise the dead, has all power. Let no one, then, 
presume to limit the Holy One of Israel. For 
if sinners dead in trespasses and sins, will hear 
the word of the Lord; He iv ill cause breath to 
enter into them; and they shall live. If they 
will set no bounds to their confidence in him, 
they shall not be confounded, world without end. 
But, while, No man, says our Lord, can come to 
me, except the father icho hath sent me draw him ; 
are sinners waiting to be drawn ? We reply : 
To-day, — and not to-morrow — if you will hear 
his voice harden not your hearts. Sinners are 
in the hands of Him who saith of himself: My 
counsel shall stand ; and 1 will do all my pleas- 
ure. His sovereignty is also evinced in his tak- 
ing from man the understanding or reason ; 
which brings him down to a level with the brutes 
that perish. This he can do at any time, and 
with infinite ease ; for he is God. He quickens 
whom he will ; and permits whom he will, to re- 
main as they are, elead in trespasses and sins. 
The Creator of all things in having mercy on 
whom he will have mercy — and in all his deal- 
ings with his creatures is putting them in a con 



143 

Virion the best adapted to reveal his whole mor- 
al character. So, then, it is not of him that will- 
eth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that 
sheweth mercy. Albeit, 

3. What has been said may help us to an un- 
derstanding of the doctrine which Christ taught 
Nicodemus ; who, though a ruler in Israel, it 
yet appears, was entirely ignorant of the new 
birth. For the existence of this doctrine and 
the importance of it had never been inculcated 
by the Jewish doctors. The instruction they 
imparted was confined to external performances. 
They contented themselves with an outside 
righteousness. They made clean the outside of 
the cup and of the platter. They paid tithes 
of mint, rue, annise and cummin. But they 
passed over the weightier matters of the law, 
judgment, mercy and the love of God. There 
was propriety, however, in the paying of tithes. 
These things, says our Lord, ye ought to have 
done ; and not to leave the other undone. 

But the paying of tithes alone was not suffi- 
cient. The heart must be renewed. We must 
become as little children. We must be born 
again. We must be released from the slavery 
of sin, and restored to the liberty of the sons of 
God. We must be brought out of darkness in- 
to that light, which shines only in the heart of 
those who have been sanctified by the Spirit of 
truth, and are ready to every good work. We 
must deny ourselves — be followers of God as 
dear children — and become the subjects of that 
religion for which our Lord condescended to 



144 

take upon himself the form of a^ servant, and be- 
come obedient unto death, even the death of the 
cross. We must have a proper sense of the na- 
ture of sin — its destructive tendency, and con- 
trariety to the spirit of the Gospel — to that 
meekness, long-suffering and humbleness of 
mind, which characterizes the subjects of re- 
newing grace. Proving what is that good and 
perfect will of God, we must be conformed to 
it ; and rejoice in hope of that better and more 
enduring substance which remains to His peo- 
ple. Having no communion with the unfruitful 
works of darkness — we must come out from 
among them — we must be separate from all un- 
cleanness. We must take fast hold of instruc- 
tion. Calling wisdom our sister, we must lift 
up our voice for understanding, and dig for it 
more than for hid treasures. We must make it 
our meat and drink to continue in all things 
that are written in the book of the law ; that by 
showing ourselves a pattern of good works, our 
profiting may be visible to all. 

We must make to ourselves friends of the 
mammon of unrighteousness, and become rich 
towards God by appropriating a part of our 
earthly inheritance to pious and charitable 
uses. — Walking honestly, as in the day-time, and 
seeking after the things which make for peace , 
and things with which we may edify one anoth- 
er, we must distinguish ourselves from those 
who think it strange that we run not with them 
into the same excess of riot ; that thereby, we 
may administer conviction to the conscience of 



145 

gainsayers — and be ready with meekness and 
fear to give to every one that asketh of us a rea- 
son of the hope that is in us. Not satisfied with 
the form of godliness merely : we must realize 
the spirit and power of it operating on our hearts, 
and impelling us to a life of holiness and Chris- 
tian sobriety. Exposed to the allurements of a 
fascinating world ; we must take heed to our 
ways, and ponder the path of our feet ; that we 
may not be stigmatized with actions inconsist- 
ent with our religious obligations, and unbecom- 
ing the character of Christians. Finally, 

4. When we consider the condition into 
which we were born into the world, and that 
unless the Divine grace be manifested in our 
recovery, we must remain for ever in that con- 
dition ; may we not contemplate with devout 
admiration the goodness of the Most High in 
devising a way for the restoration of sinners 
dead in trespasses and sins to a state of holiness 
and newness of life ? " Our infidelities and in- 
gratitudes, numerous as they are, have not dried 
up the fountain of His gifts, nor stopped the 
course of His mercies." The angels who kept 
not their first estate are reserved in chains under 
darkness unto the judgment of the great day. 
But for man who has forfeited his title to Di- 
vine favor, and merited the just displeasure an(J| 
indignation of His Judge ; the Majesty of heav- 
en has provided a ransom. He has given his 
only begotten and dearly beloved Son to die for 
our redemption. Herein is love ; not that wc 
13 



146 

loved God, hut that He loved us ; and sent His 
Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 

The Divine goodness which is thus manifest- 
ed in sending His Son to seek and save that 
which vvas lost, surpasses the comprehension of 
finite minds. Like the deep, it is unfathoma- 
ble, and boundless as eternity. " Here we see 
the independent Creator exercising compassion 
to sinful creatures. Here we see the Son of 
God coming down from heaven, to accomplish 
by His labors and sufferings the wonderful pur- 
pose, which Divine w 7 isdom and goodness had 
formed 5 ' — and wearing a crown of thorns to give 
us instead, a crown of life. Here we behold 
him by his holy doctrine and excellent exam- 
ple pointing out the only way to the paradise of 
God. Here we see him reviled, but reviling 
not again — insulted — persecuted — brought for- 
ward as a malefactor — and expiring upon the 
cross, to deliver us from the dominion of the 
wicked one, and the captivity in which we were 
held by means of sin. Here we see a display of 
goodness, the plan of which was devised in eter- 
nity. " O love, without interruption and with- 
out inconstancy, wmich all the bitter waters of 
our iniquities could never extinguish ! O my 
God, is there a heart that is not pierced with 
gratitude, love, and tenderness I" 



147 



THE PRECIOUSNESS OF TIME. 

Behold now I am old j I know not the day of my death. 

Genesis xxvii. 2. 

Our ignorance of future events should inspire 
us with humility, and induce us, at all times, to 
commit the keeping of our souls in well-doing 
to Him, who has given us a portion of time to 
prepare for eternity. More especially does it 
behove the aged, whose infirmities often unfit 
them for the occupations of life, to withdraw 
their thoughts from the cares of time, and to 
dwell more intensely upon the ground of their 
hope of a better resurrection. This, indeed, 
should be their only concern. It should not 
merely occupy, at times, the giddy wanderings 
of transient thought. Tt should be the busi- 
ness of their lives. And whether old or young, 
they only are truly wise, who, in whatever they 
do for the body, have respect to the soul, and 
the retributions of eternity. But those who have 
reached, and more than reached the narrow 
bound of three score and ten, should keep it ev- 
er in mind that they are traveling on the very 
verge of the grave. They should, therefore, 
more frequently enter into their closets. They 
should be much employed in examining the state 
of their souls and in preparation for the world 
to come. They should live, expecting every 
day and every hour the consummation of the 
time which will fix their destiny, and put an 



148 

end to all they will ever be able to do on the 
earth. 

The state of being which follows the death of 
the body will soon be .realized by all here pres- 
ent. And, perhaps, to some child or youth of 
this assembly who may deem death at a great 
distance, for no other reason than because he 
is young ; it may be even now at the very door. 
But, 

First, People in advanced age may rationally 
conclude that death is very near. 

" I am old," says the pious patriarch, as much 
as if he had said, T shall soon die ; and I know 
not the day of my death. I know that my 
bounds are set, and that I cannot pass them. I 
see innumerable descending to the mansions of 
darkness, and all that live drawing after them ; 
and cannot but think that I, also, shall shortly 
return to the dust from which I was taken. 

Life is compared with a flower, a shadow, a 
story, a vapor. " For what," says James, 
" what is your life ? It is even a vapor, which 
appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth 
away." Certainly, then, those who have already 
exceeded the ordinary limits prescribed us, have 
every reason to expect that the time of their de- 
parture is at hand. They are admonished by 
the loss of their former agility, strength and vig- 
or ; and the enfeebled state of their powers and 
faculties, bodily and mental, continually remind 
them, that they must shortly return to the land 
of darkness, as darkness itself without any or- 
der, and where the light is as darkness. They 



149 

are continually reminded by the unsatisfying 
nature of sublunary felicity, sickness, and the 
loss of friends, that the term of their existence 
is precarious and temporary, at best; and a pre- 
face only of the eternal unchangeable one upon 
which they are about to enter. 

Considering his age and infirmities, the pious 
patriarch was rationally convinced that what he 
had to do must be done speedily. For this rea- 
son, with the fondness of an affectionate parent, 
he called Esau his eldest son, and said unto 
him, My son. And he said, Behold, here am I. 
And he said, Behold now-I am old, T know not 
the day of my death. Now, therefore, take, I 
pray thee, thy weapons, thy quiver and thy bow, 
and go out to the field, and take me some veni- 
son such as I love, and bring it to me that I 
may eat, that my soul may bless thee before I 
die. 

My brethren, do you know the day of your 
death? Can you tell the day or the hour in 
which you are to exchange a temporal for an 
untried, eternal existence ? If not, you are ad- 
monished by the uncertainty of life and the cer- 
tainty of death, that now is the only accepted 
time and day of salvation. Here especially the 
aged are admonished to set their house in order, 
and to be always ready. For in such an hour 
as they think not the Son of man cometh. If 
any thing remains to be done, the present is the 
only season, in which a possibility or opportuni- 
ty to begin and finish it, can ever be realized. 
You may not, improperly, therefore, be excited 
13* 



150 

to greater diligence and zeal in preparation for 
the close of life, that you may attain hereafter 
to a state of happiness more exalted and durable 
in the world to come. 

If the lives of Adam, Methuselah and Xoah 
were comparable only to a watch of the night ; 
what images in nature can then sufficiently il- 
lustrate the brevity of that fleeting peiiod, which 
pertains to the oldest who are now on the earth' 

" The vast multitudes who are floating upon 
the streams of time, are many of them, even 
now, on the very verge of eternity : and all that 
excites the envy or admiration of the thought- 
less beholder, will soon wither for ever." How 
much better, then, is it to get wisdom than 
gold ? how much rather is understanding to be 
chosen than silver ? Yet how heedlessly, how 
like a tale that is told, do we spend our days, 
and in a moment go down to the grave ! How 
few attain to three score and ten : and how do 
they drag along the tiresome road the withered 
remnant of life, who surpass that period ! The 
declaration to Adam, Dust thou art, and unto 
dust shalt thou return ; included all his posteri- 
ty that have ever lived or that will ever exist. 
By the offence of one judgment has come upon 
all men to condemnation. Sin has entered into 
the world, and death by sin : and so death pass- 
ed upon all men, for that all have sinned. Even 
the dear people of God must be chastened. 
They must suffer here on account of their sins. 
And they must yield their bodies to the king of 
terrors. For in this war there is no discharge. 



151 

And all that are not washed from their sins-— all 
that are not sanctified and justified in the name 
of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God, 
will suffer for ever in the world to come. Though 
they may now have more than heart could wish, 
they can carry nothing after them ; and unless 
redeemed from their vain conversation by the 
precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without 
blemish and without spot ; their eyes will, ere 
long, be opened upon the hopelessness of their 
poverty, when it will be too late to change their 
condition. And, therefore, 

Secondly, The hour of death is to all a sol- 
emn and interesting event. 

After death comes the judgment. Our state 
will then be unalterably fixed, and our sentence 
eternally irrevocable will then be passed. It 
concerns all, therefore, of every description and 
condition of life, old and young, who are cher- 
ishing hopes of future blessedness, to examine 
attentively, and with great care, the foundation 
of their hope ; lest it prove, at last, to be only 
a spider's web, when the shame and wretched- 
ness of their true character shall be exposed for 
ever, but shall never be wiped away. 

Death is solemn and interesting, inasmuch as 
in the grave, to which in thick succession we 
are daily descending, there is no device, nor 
knowledge, nor wisdom.'* When we leave the 
world, which may be even to-day and before we le- 
turn to our nightly repose, our state of probation* 
will be sealed up to the light of that day which 



15-2 

will unveil the secrets of all hearts, and fix for 
ever the destinies of all. 

If when wisdom, eternal wisdom, with the 
Holy Ghost sent down from heaven, was propos- 
ed to our acceptance, we prayed to be excused ; 
if we set at nought her counsels, and did not 
choose the fear of the Lord ; then will he laugh 
at our calamity and mock when our fear Com- 
eth. If we have not bridled our passions in the 
fear of God, but have panted after the dust of 
the earth upon the heads of the poor : and look- 
ing for happiness in pleasures of sin, have had 
no respect to the recompense of reward ; the 
remorse and anguish of futurity will be the wa- 
ges of our folly. 

The winding up of the present scene is pe- 
culiarly interesting, because it is a period in 
which all the sorrow, joy and pleasure, care and 
labor, pertaining to the life that now is, will, for 
ever, have terminated. 

Happy, then, are they, and they -only, who 
are always ready to depart — who know in whom 
they have believed, and are persuaded that 
nothing can separate them from the love of 
God in Christ Jesus. Happy are they, whose 
walk and conversation is in some measure an- 
swerable to the perfect example of him, who 
came not to send peace upon earth but a sword : 
intimating that the religion he was going to set 
up and establish in the world, would be the 
I cause of dissension, persecution and death ; 
that, as the servant is not greater than his lord. 



153 

his followers must expect to be set at nought as 
he was ; — who, in the view of these things, are 
resolved to live godly in Christ Jesus : and re- 
joice in this that they are accounted worthy to 
suffer shame for his name. Happy are they 
who are fully persuaded that the gayety and 
splendor of the world, though it were endless 
and uninterrupted, if contrasted with the happi- 
of the world to come, is incomparably mean and 
diminutive ; and who in the diligent exercise of 
the duties and labors of the Christian warfare, 
anticipate the joy of their Lord as the perfection 
of blessedness. Deplorable indeed, on the oth- 
er hand, is the condition of those, who depre- 
cate the close of life from a fearful apprehension 
of punishment which awaits them for sins unre- 
pented of— who are, nevertheless, resolved to walk 
in the sight of their own eyes, and to put off the 
concerns of eternity till a more convenient oppor- 
tunity shall be allotted them. But let them re- 
member that the Lord is not slack concerning 
his promise — that the reward of their works will 
be adequate to the evil of their doings — that 
He, who is of purer eyes than to behold inquity, 
is attentive to the ways in which they practice 
and apparently prosper in a course of sin ; — and 
that, suddenly, in. a time unthought of, every 
opportunity of repentance and reformation will 
have fled for ever. " What then will they do 
when God riseth up, and when He visiteth, 
what will they answer Him 1 Can any then 
forbear to perceive, that, 

Thirdly, To be in continual readiness for the 



154 

king of terrors, is the only concern of all the 
living. 

The momentousness of eternity can never be 
viewed with indifference by those, w T ho are in- 
wardly persuaded that all scripture is given by 
inspiration ; and is profitable for doctrine, for 
correction, and instruction in righteousness. 
Such as receive and obey the truth as it is in 
Jesus, by reading and meditating continually 
upon this inestimable volume of Divine truth 
which is opened before them, will find it a light 
to their feet and a lamp to their path. And 
when the midnight outcry shall be made : Be- 
hold the Bridegroom cometh ; go ye out to 
meet him ; they will be in readiness to obey the 
call and follow their guide. An acquaintance 
with the lively oracles will teach them the ex- 
treme deceitfulness and treachery of the human 
heart ; and that the influences of the Holy Spir- 
it in new-creating it, and thus forming it to the 
exercise of piety, righteousness and mercy, are 
of infinite importance in securing to them the 
favor they have need of, and for their prepara- 
tion to depart in peace. They will see them- 
selves perpetually surrounded with temptations 
to sin, and that their fallen nature and entire 
depravity render solitude, in many instances, as 
dangerous as the world is, or can be ; and that 
continual watchfulness is as necessary at home, 
as in circles collected for carnal pleasure and 
vain amusement. 

Such as have never felt the spirit and power 
of renewing grace ; who are still the subjects of 



155 

sin, and under bonds by the prince of darkness, 
are admonished that the way, in which they are 
now walking, is dark and slippery, and fraught 
with danger, perils and death ; that from the 
place in which the rich man lifted up his eyes 
being in torments there can be no release — and 
that a hatred of all sin, and unfeigned repent- 
ance for secret as well as open iniquity, are in- 
dispensably necessary to happiness here and be- 
yond the grave. 

Death, as the door of eternity, is the good- 
man's passport to a better world. But, 

"To him who is at ease in his possessions, 
Who, counting on long years of pleasure here, 
Is quite unfurnished for the world to come — 
How shocking its summons." 

God is angry with the wicked every day, 
And His anger will burn unceasingly against 
those, by whom, the precious season vouchsafed 
for repentance and reformation, is, in contempt 
of His kindness and condescension, ungrateful- 
ly turned to build their nest on high, or sub- 
serve the purposes of their pride and vanity. 

Attention, threfore, to the call of the Gospel, 
is the only foundation on which any can repose 
the smallest confidence, who are hoping, here- 
after, to realize the favor of God and the prom- 
ise of future enjoyment. Indeed it is the only 
proper business of life that demands our care ; 
the neglect of which will leave us in the Dum- 
ber those who love death ; and in the <^vr< of 



156 

Him whose understanding is infinite as totally 
void of all true wisdom. 

The kingdom of God is come nigh unto you. 
The word of salvation is now at your very door. 
The free offer of strength and of acceptance 
now sounds in your hearing. And will any 
pray to be excused ? Will they refuse the Sav- 
iour, and the life he proffers ? Will they esteem 
it as a trivial honor, that he should write their 
names in His Book of Life ? But, oh, let such re- 
member if they harden their hearts, abide in 
unbelief, and refuse to be instructed ; there will 
remain, hereafter, no more sacrifice for sin — no 
more day of salvation — no more hope of amend- 
ment. 

From all that has been said, how T exceedingly 
manifest is the inestimable value and precious- 
ness of time. It is not always in our power to 
serve our generation, by the vigorous exercise 
of our faculties, or by active employment. But 
we can be .patient in tribulation. We can make 
it manifest by our walk and conversation that 
we have been with Jesus, and have learned of 
him. We can spread abroad the savor of his 
name, who laid down his life, the just for the 
unjust, by the fidelity of our example. Let us, 
therefore, do good to all as we have opportunity, 
especially to the household of faith. Say not to 
thy neighbor, Go, and come again ; and to-mor- 
row I will give, when thou hast it by thee. How 
little dost thou know, O vain man, what a day 
may bring forth! If we would lay up for our- 
selves a good foundation against the time to 



157 

come, we must do it noic. If time is precious 
to the youth ; to the aged, especially, whose 
brittle thread of life is just ready to be sundered, 
who, nevertheless, have no share in the one 
thing needful — the grand interest they were 
sent into the world to secure — the little time 
which remains to them is fearfully so — it is 
doubly precious. Have they not reason to fear, 
lest being joined to idols, they are left, in judg- 
ment to be made blind ; and that already the 
day of their redemption has ceased for ever ? 

2. The same want of knowledge pertains to 
future events, and the day of our death now, as 
at any former period. 

Thousands of years have already elapsed in 
which no material alteration has been attached 
to the term of our existence. The thing which 
hath been is that which shall be ;. and that which 
is done r is that which shall be done ; and there 
is no new thing under the sun. Is there any 
thing whereof it may be said,. See, this is new 1 
It hath already been of old time which was be- 
fore us. There is no remembrance of former 
things ; neither shall there be any remembrance 
of things that are to come, with those that shall 
come after. We are by no means authorized 
to conclude, from hence, that death is a perpetual 
sleep ; or that the wicked will escape with impu- 
nity. Revelation assures us, that the Lord will 
descend from heaven with a shout, with the 
voice of the archangel and with the trump of 
God : That the righteous will be exalted to 
14 



158 

immortal felicity and glory ; and that the wicked 
will go away into everlasting punishment. That 
the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the 
night, in the which the heavens being on fire 
shall be dissolved ; the elements shall melt with 
fervent heat ; the earth also, and the works that 
are therein shall be burned up. Seeing then 
that all these things shall be dissolved; what 
manner of persons ought we to be in all holy 
conversation and godliness ? 

3. The young are, also, admonished, that 
there is none of them that knoweth the time of 
their departure, or how long they may continue 
the prisoners of hope. 

All flesh is as grass ; and all the goodliness 
of man is as the flower of the field. And in a 
little time, if life be spared to you, the bloom 
and comeliness of youth will be exchanged for 
the almond tree, and the wrinkles of age. Ev- 
ery day is diminishing the period allotted us, 
and bringing us nearer and nearer to a boundless 
eternity. When a few years are come, we must 
go the way of all the earth, never more to enjoy 
a space for repentance and the means of grace. 
It is a dictate of wisdom then to " Seize the 
kind promise while it waits," by a wise improve- 
of the present hour. 

4. Those that for many years have employed 
their talents in the service of their Divine Mas- 
ter — that, by every means in their power, have 
subserved the interests of his kingdom, and who 
are now drawing near to the end of their days, 



159 

will soon be gathered as a shock of corn fully 
ripe ; and an open abundant entrance will be 
ministered to them into the mansions of immor- 
tal felicity and glory. They will be freed from 
affliction and trouble, pain and disappointment, 
sickness and death ; their cares, labors and'dan- 
gers will have terminated ; and they will be fill- 
ed with gratitude and praise to their God and 
Saviour. " They shall obtain joy and gladness, 
and sorrow and sighing shall flee away." For 
they shall, for ever, behold the glory of God, 
and recount the riches of his mercy on their be- 
half, in the presence of the Lamb, for whose 
sake they shall be forgiven their iniquities. 



160 



COVETOUSNESS REBUKED BY ITS TERRIBLE 
RECOMPENSE. 

But Gehazi, the servant of Elisha, the man of "God, said. Be- ] 
hold, my master hath spared Xaaman this Syrian, in not recei- 
ving at his hands that which he brought 3 but as the Lordliveth. 
1 will run after him, and take somewhat of him. So Gehazi 
followed after Xaaman. And when Naaman saw him running 
after him. he lighted down from the chariot to meet him. ana 
said, Is all well 1 And he said, All is well. My master hath 
sent me, saying. Behold even now there be come to me from 
Mount Ephraim two young men of the sons of the prophets ; 
give them, I pray thee, a talent of silver, and two changes of 
garments. And Xaaman said, Be content, take two talents. 
And he urged him, and bound two talents of silver in two bags, 
with two changes of garments, and laid them upon two of his 
servants : and they bare them before him. And when he came 
to the tower, he took them from their hand, and bestowed them 
in the house : and he let the men go, and they departed. But 
he went in and stood before his master. And Elisha said unto 
him, Whence comest thou Gehazi ? And he said. Thy servant 
went no whither. And he said unto him, Went not mine heart 
with thee, when the man turned again from his chariot to meet 
thee ? Is it a time to receive money, and to receive garments, 
and olive-yards, and vine-yards, and sheep, and oxen, and 
men-servants and maid-servants ? The leprosy therefore of 
Naaman shall cleave unto thee, and unto thy seed for ever. 
And he went out from Ins presence a leper as white as snow. — 

2 Kings, v. 20. 27. 

The spirit of religion is replete with love and 
good will to men. It gives a listening ear to 
the cry of distress, in whatever shape, or from 
whatever quarter it comes. It not only relieves 
the distresses of the feeble and helpless, it inci- 
dentally meets with ; but makes inquiry after, 
with a view to become acquainted with such ob- 
jects, that the hand of pity and benevolence may 
be extended to help them. While it carefully 
avoids a display of ostentation and noise, it per- 



161 

forms with unassuming meekness and generosi* 
ty the most exalted offices of kindness and char- 
ity. Of this there are noble examples in holy 
writ ; and the story before us embracing the 
text, is one of them. ' 

The venerable prophet of Israel was applied 
to by a Syrian leper ; to whom in a simple and 
unaffected manner he gave directions for the 
cure of a most disagreeable and loathsome dis- 
ease. In obedience to these directions, the leper 
being restored, besought the prophet to accept a 
reward. But this the prophet considered as de- 
rogatory of the honor of him through whom he 
had been an instrument of the benefit received. 
He, therefore, utterly refused accepting any 
thing at his hands. But Gehazi, his servant, 
coveting that which Naaman had brought for 
his master, contrived, by lying, to take some- 
what of him for his own use. 

The text in its connection, suggests a number 
of useful observations. Let us, 

I. Look at the results of covetousness pre- 
sented by this narrative. Consider the unreas- 
onableness of its desires and demands ; which 
become, if refused, an instrument of torture 
growing out of its own nature. Do you see a 
covetous person ? You see a picture of impatience 
panting after the dust of the earth upon the heads 
of the poor — disquieted by its own elements, — 
and like the troubled sea which cannot rest. 
He has no confidence in the care of divine prov- 
idence. Favored with all the exuberance and 
superfluity of refined life, even his happiest and 
Jl* 



162 

best hours are fraught with perplexity and vexa- 
tion of spirit. Every accession of property or 
fame becomes a means of renewed ardor, and 
betrays an increasing avidity which can never 
be satisfied. Having no delight in the things 
that are unseen and eternal ; his love of the 
world, and unwillingness to leave it, acquire 
from day to day additional strength, notwith- 
standing the rapid decay and diminution of car- 
nal enjoyment. But grudging the quietude se- 
cured by the hardest earnings of intense appli- 
cation, severe labor, diligence, and honest in- 
dustry; his hankering for what he has not, for- 
bids satisfaction in what he has ; because his af- 
fairs are not adjusted to his mind — his neigh- 
bor's field being wanted for a garden of herbs — 
or the respect he fancied to be due to him, not 
rendered. Hence he is rash and inconsiderate, 
and easily led or betrayed into snares and diffi- 
culties, which bring indelible infamy and re- 
proach upon his character, and render him a 
stranger to all true peace. 

In the view of human wisdom, the vice we are 
speaking of, might, perhaps, be regarded as less 
criminal in one surrounded by a numerous fami- 
ly, whose ambitious views would be not a little 
gratified in seeing them in circumstances of af- 
fluence, and promoted in the world. But what 
shall we say, when There is one alone, and there 
is not a second; who hath neither child nor bro- 
ther ; of whose labor there is no end; and who 
never even stops to reflect for whom he is thus 
laboring and bereaving his soul of good ? Alas ! 



163 

does he not unite with them that are greedy of 
gain ? And would he not even be ready to take 
away the life of the owners thereof? And may 
we not even find him in the catalogue of those 
who have pierced themselves through with many 
sorroics ? And though, like Gehazi, he may 
hide, for a moment, his iniquitous designs, by 
dissimulation and fraud ; yet, as soon as the veil 
is pierced by the rays of truth, his true charac- 
ter, in its naked infamy, becomes visible to all. 
As the results of covetousness, what then, are 
we to expect of one, who is fully under the con- 
trol of this inordinate thirst for gain, but resort 
to the dark and deceitful arts of hypocrisy and 
guile ; the receiving of bribes ; the respecting 
of persons in judgment; and oppressive cruelty 
in turning away the cause of the poor and nee- 
dy, under the borrowed garb of clemency and 
affability ? For with their mouth they show 
much love ; but their heart goeth after their cov- 
etousness. 

In the catalogue of sins which defile a man a 
prominent place is given to covetousness. And 
he said, That which comcth out of a man that 
defileth a man. For from within out of the heart 
of man proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornica- 
tions, murders, thefts, covetousness, icickedness , 
deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy , 
fyridr, foolishness. All these thhigs come from 
within, and defile the man. Mention is also 
made by Peter of certain persons having an 
heart exercised with covetous practices, cursed 
children, which have forsaken the right way, and 



164 

are gone astray, following the way of Balaam 
the son of Bosor, who loved the ways of unrigh- 
teousness. Accordingly, it appears, that the sin 
adverted to, in the words of inspiration before 
us, is a crime of the deadliest nature, and total- 
ly subversive of all the amiable affections, which 
are the only beauty and ornament of social life. 
It contracts and degrades the whole soul of man. 
It paralyses the noble facilities, which all, who 
value the rewards of eternal happiness, are dis- 
posed exceedingly to esteem and cherish. It 
sunders the ties of natural affection ; and leaves 
the external traces of honor and honesty scarce- 
ly visible. But alas, how fleeting, and how de- 
ceitful, are its acquisitions of usury and unjust 
gain ! He hath swallowed down riches, and he 
shall vomit them up again ; God shall cast them 
out of his belly. Also he taketh no rest in the 
night. His companions too like himself, are 
treacherous and cruel ; and the imperfect no- 
tions he has of friendship and confidence, are 
only an aggravated source of increasing wretch- 
edness. But, 

II. The results of covetousness develope char- 
acter dangerous to society. This is evident 
from the conduct of Gehazi. Here we see an 
heart exercised with covetous practices — with the 
low and fawning arts of menial adulation, and 
the skilful management and artifice of profound^ 
hypocrisy — assailing the good name and reputa- 
tion of his master with the silent blast of slander, 
and the noxious breath of reproach and calum- 
ny. Gehazi commences with a lie. He had 



165 

nothing in charge from his master. He begs 
property for others, and takes it to himself. In 
subserviency to the object of his wishes, and to 
which his heart is supremely devoted, he watch- 
es every opportunity — looks narrowly to his go- 
ings — proceeds with deliberation, sagacity and 
caution — and is wiser than the children of light. 
The empire of covetousness being thus estab- 
lished, like a sweeping rain which leaveth no 
food, disheartens the spirit of enterprise — re- 
tards the exercise of genius — enfeebles the 
spring of industry — disparages the love of labor 
and economy — and involves in its own destruc- 
tion the ruin of multitudes. It sets aside the 
duty which we owe to one another as brethren 
— banishes the fear of God from the heart — and 
makes it fast to the altar of mammon — the god 
of this world ; whose votaries are often employ- 
ed in exposing religion and morality to contempt 
— in assailing its friends with the shafts of scorn 
and derision, and in making them the sport of 
ridicule. Even the Lord of glory was derided 
by the covetous Pharisees. It is a darling wea- 
pon, in the management of which they exert the 
subtilty of the serpent ; and while the hearts of 
the simple are deceived by their feigned words 
and fair speeches, they make merchandise of the 
good man's name, and spread their lies abroad. 

How suitable, then, were the instructions of 
Paul to the church at Corinth — to withdraw 
themselves from the company of a man, that was 
called a brother, who was covetous — not even 
allowing themselves to eat with him, but to treat 



166 

liim as publicans and heathen were treated by 
the Jewish Pharisees. Indeed the covetous as 
members of society are especially to be avoided, 
when we consider that the confidence reposed 
in them in times of difficulty and danger, will 
be only as a broken tooth, and as a foot out of 
joint. Being lovers of their own selves and wor- 
shippers of the god of this world, they are said 
by the Psalmist to be those whom the Lord ah- 
horreth. And instead of being trusted for their 
long prayers, professions of regard to the wor- 
ship of God, and the cause of truth and righte- 
ousness, which they use as a cloak of covetous- 
ness, they are, for that very reason, to be shun- 
ned the more. 

Resign to covetousness the sceptre of empire, 
and if the restraints of law and fear of its enact- 
ments be taken away ; where is the security for 
property, for reputation, for life ? What affini- 
ty has the morals of a man habitually violating 
the laws of heaven, with the pure morality that 
is born from above 1 Just as much as righte- 
ousness to unrighteousness. Christ and Belial, 
or the east and the west are not more opposite. 
It will not, however, be denied that the influ- 
ence of covetousness may be very considerable, 
where the form of godliness is marked and visi- 
ble ; but the all-subduing efficacy of its spirit 
and power which prompts to a holy fidelity — a 
literal doing, as in the fear of the Lord, of the 
various duties of the second table, — can never 
co-operate with such an influence, as kindred 
spirits, as long as it remains a truth as fixed as 



167 

the throne of Heaven : Ye cannot serve God 
and mammon. 

It appears, then, that 

III. What is done from motives of genuine 
love, and devotedness to the cause of Christ, is 
in direct opposition to the spirit of covetousness. 
Self love and pride and guile are its prominent 
features. Hence, it is grievous to a covetous 
spirit that any thing should be done for the fur- 
therance of pure and undefiled religion. And 
its precepts requiring us to be contented with 
such things as we have — to seek first the king- 
dom of God and his righteousness , and to lay up 
treasure in heaven ; are altogether disconsonant 
with every propensity of the covetous heart. It 
is intent upon something else. Nay, more ; it 
is exercised with covetous practices — and ready 
to exclaim, whenever appearances of benevo- 
lence and generosity are indicated, like Judas, 
who betrayed his Lord : To what 'purpose is this 
waste ? The times are difficult. The expen- 
ses of religious institutions are needless. And r 
What shall vie eat ? or, What shall we drink 1 
and wherewithal shall we be clothed? When 
will the new moon be gone that we may sell corn 7 
and the Sabbath that we may set forth wheat, 
making the ephah small and the shekel great r 
and falsifying the balances by deceit ? Have 
they not sped ? have they not divided, the prey ? 
to every man a damsel or tivo ? — Speak to my 
brother, that he divide the inheritance with 
me. — Doth not your master pay tribute T 
What will ye give me ? 



168 

IV. By the punishment of Gehazi for his cov- 
etousness, we are cautioned against recourse, 
like him, to unlawful measures, for the sake of 
gain. His plague was wonderful and of loner 
continuance. His insatiable avarice procured 
to himself and his posterity, for ever, the dis- 
ease of Naaman. Contemplate, moreover, the 
consequences of covetousness as connected with 
the history of Achan, exerting like leaven a 
wide spreading influence, and invoking upon 
others, as well as himself, the Divine indigna- 
tion. Witnessing the deed, and knowing it to 
be a violation of the vows of God upon the peo- 
ple of Israel, there were some, perhaps, who 
connived at it. And the coveted spoil being 
stolen, and hid, the poison of it is fastened upon 
the whole nation. They go against their ene- 
my ; but their courage is gone. They contend: 
but their strength is gone, and the foe prevails. 
They bring forth the bold and heaven-daring of- 
fender ; who is publicly executed, and buried, 
with the fascinating garment, and silver, and 
gold he coveted, and took, together with his 
house and all th#t he had, by raising over them 
a great heap of stones, which remains to this 
day ; and their camp resounds with the shouts 
of victory. And, now, if further evidence of 
the deadly nature and tendency of covetousness 
can be of any avail ; let the end of Judas, who, 
for thirty pieces of silver, betrayed his master, 
tell on its consequences. 

Let us remember, that, The getting of treas- 
ures by a lying tongue is a vanity tossed to and 



169 

fro of them that seek death. That, He that lov- 
eth silver shall not be satisfied with silver, nor he 
that loveth abundance with increase. Let it suf- 
fice, that he, who spake as never man spake, 
has bid us : Take heed, and beivare of covetous- 
ness ; for a man's life consisteth not in the abun- 
dance of the things which he possesseth. And 
would we regale ourselves with a continual 
feast ; let us seek contentment with such things 
as we have ; instead of being eager in the pur- 
suit of those riches, which take to themselves 
wings, and disappoint us in the profit of behold- 
ing them with our eyes. For the desires of the 
covetous are never satisfied — their good is not in 
their hand — and every accession of property is 
attended with greater uneasiness and discontent- 
ment with what they have gained. They are, 
also, esteemed the children of disobedience, 
against whom the wrath and indignation of Him 
that made us will be manifested ; inasmuch as 
they will not be able to escape with impunity. 
For, There is no darkness nor shadow of death 
where the ivorkers of iniquity can hide them- 
selves. 

Why, then, should we rise early, and sit up 
late, to eat the bread of carefulness, and to toil 
for that which will vanish as a dream, or, perish 
as the grass of the field, ivhich to-day is and to- 
morrow is cast into the oven ; instead of covet' 
ing earnestly the best gifts, and making request 
for the true riches, with an eye fixed upon the 
city which hath foundations whose Builder and 
15 



no 

Maker is God ? Is it not enough for us, that 
Moses was directed, in determining causes and 
adjusting disputes among the Hebrews, to pro- 
vide able men fearing God and hating covet ous- 
ness ? That lie that hateth covetousness shall 
prolong his days 1 That /or the iniquity of his 
covetousness the Judge of all was wroth with his 
people and hid himself? And that their cupid- 
ity, violence, and unceasing abominations be- 
ing such as the Lord would not pardon ; their 
land was invaded — their city and temple besieg- 
ed — plundered — destroyed ; and the greater 
part of the inhabitants carried captive to Baby- 
lon ! 

Well, then, may we take up a wailing, and 
say : Alas, for him, who increaseth that which is 
not his ! 'that he may build his nest on high and 
say to his soul : Eat, drink, and be merry : deaf 
to the command : Thou shalt not covet — deaf to 
conscience accusing of wages kept back by 
fraud — deaf to wisdom beseeching to turn at 
her reproof — and reckless of the retributions of 
the last great day. 

Do we ask for more? now that the truth it- 
self assures us : That such as trust in the Lord 
shall have good things in possession ? That, 
The willing and obedient shall eat the good of 
the land ? and that, The meek shall inherit the 
earth ? And with these promises, beloved breth- 
ren, shall we not regard, with utter contempt, 
every species of carnal confidence — and, fleeing 
for refuge to the hope set before us — go, with all 



171 

that we have and are, as a living sacrifice, to 
our Father in heaven : that he may open to us 
us windows, to bless us with more than we have 
room to receive ? 

If in our outward estate, or reputation, we 
have been injured, at any time, by oppression, 
or fraud, deceit, or falsehood — or, if any other 
way, the fruit of our toil and labor has been di- 
minished : let us remember that, It is of the 
Lord's mercies that ire are not consumed : — and 
that, He is able to give us more — far more than 
these. Fear not, little flock ; it is your Father's 
good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Sell 
that ye have, says the Word, and give alms. 
For, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not 
all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple, Fol- 
low them who through faith and patience have 
inherited the promises; and you shall rest and 
stand in your lot at the end of the days. 

We are in solemn waiting for the decisions of 
the Judge, who standeth at the door, and from 
whose tribunal there can be no appeal. Oh, 
then, let us search and try our ways: and let us 
beware, lest being led away with the error of 
the wicked, we fall from our steadfastness, and 
be lound at ease in Zion, and settled upon our 
when He, who will search Jerusalem with 
candles, shall have come into our midst to purge 
his floor, and to make up his jewels. Let as 

that we are now in readiness for the mid- 
night outcry — Thai we have oil in our v< - 
with our lamp- — and that they are trimmed and 
: "jrniiiir. 



172 

Brethren, can you accept, with the Cyro-phen- 
cian woman, the crumbs that fall from the Mas- 
ter's table 1 Have you undergone the solemn 
scrutiny — the searchings of heart — demanded 
by the times in which w r e live ? Have you re- 
paired the wall, and made up the breach against 
your own house ? Are you perfectly joined to- 
gether in the same mind and in the same judg- 
ment? Does the state of vital piety among you, 
compare with the primitive Christians ; who did 
eat their meat with gladness and singleness of 
heart, praising God and having favor with all 
the people ? Ts Holiness to the Lord inscribed 
upon the farm, the factory, the workshop, and 
the merchandise ? And with this lofty standard 
of moral excellence before you ; are you living 
epistles, known and read of all men ? Then, 
brethren, rely upon it, you are come to Mount 
Zion. And the word of God which liveth and 
abideth forever, assures you, that you have only 
to ask ; and the Spirit will be poured from on 
high. And while you are yet speaking, it will 
be said unto you : Be it unto thee even as thou 
wilt. Therefore, all things, whatsoever ye 
would that men should do to you, do ye even so 
to them, for trtis is the law and the prophets. 



173 

THE BREVITY AND SORROW OF HUiMAN LIFE. 

Man that is born of a woman is of few da}-s 7 and full of trouble. 

Job xiv. 1. 

The words of our text were uttered by Job, 
at a time when his accustomed sources of earth- 
ly enjoyment were dried up. Detached from 
these, human life, with all that were earthly, 
was present before him without a veil. Unri- 
valled, once, in regard to wealth, he was the 
greatest of all the men of the east. But that 
which constituted his real greatness was moral 
worth — intrinsic excellence, imparting to char- 
acter an elevation and a dignity suited to inter- 
course with the Holy One. Hence he was a 
worshiper of the Most High, and eminent for 
his piety. He walked with God. There was 
none like him in the earth. He was therefore 
prepared to do and suffer according to the will 
and pleasure of the Divine purpose respecting 
him. In the history of his life we have an ac- 
count of the most extraordinary changes whic|| 
are any where to be found in the pages of an- 
cient or modern biography. At a period, when 
like the waters of a noble river that flow with 
irresistible majesty, his life presented a scene as 
delightful as the nature of things could possibly 
admit; the deep and lively interest, which he 
took in the concerns of religion, was no less sin- 
gular, than the smiles of heaven were wonder- 
ful, which attended him in the acquirement of 
wealth, respectability and influence upon the 
minds of men. 

15* 



174 

The sons of this pious man had established a 
practice of assembling at certain seasons for the 
purposes of festivity and mutual intercourse. 
And, at these seasons, they sent and called 
their sisters to eat and drink with them. And 
it was so, when the day of their feasting were 
gone about, that Job sent and sanctified them, 
and rose up early in the morning, and offered 
burnt offerings according to the number of them 
all: for Job said, It may be that my sons have 
sinned, and cursed God in their hearts. Thus 
did Job continually. 

Alas ! he was ignorant of the storm which 
had gathered over his head. The decree had 
gone forth ; and the Most High, who giveth not 
account of any of His matters, was about to 
abandon him to the power and malice of the 
prince of darkness. The tempter, however, was 
at first restricted to the taking away of his prop- 
erty, and the bereaving him of his children. 
After a succession of heavy tidings, which were 
^brought by one messenger after another, the 
last of whom announced the death of his chil- 
dren ; Job arose, and rent his mantle, and shav- 
ed his head, and fell down upon the ground and 
worshiped, and said, Naked came 1 out of my 
mother's icomb, and naked shall I retun thither ; 
The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away ; 
blessed be the name of the Lord. As a further 
trial of his character as one that feared God, and 
eschewed evil : Satan was afterward permitted 
to afflict the person of Job, which he did in the 
most unparalleled manner, by smiting him with 



175 

sore boils from the sole of his foot unto his 
crown. But, instead of repining under this 
heavy and diversified weight of afflction, he ex- 
claims ! What ! shall we receive good at the 
hand of God, and shall we not receive evil 1 

The sacred penman informs us that his three 
friends, who heard of all this evil which had 
come upon him, and came every one from his 
own place, to mourn with him and to comfort 
him, wept, at seeing, afar off, so unlike to what 
he was in former years of health and prosperity : 
That they soon after began to accuse him of 
fraud, hypocrisy and oppression, as the cause of 
his sufferings ; — and that Job pronounced them 
to be miserable comforters. 

In reply to their reproaches, that he consider- 
ed the hand of God as concerned in the evil 
which had come upon him, the general drift of 
his conversation sufficiently evinces. And the 
pre-eminent patience and devout resignation of 
the pious patriarch to his heavenly Father, un- 
der a pressure of extreme calamity, are, alike, 
discernible. He, however, asserts his innocence 
of the criminal conduct with which he is charg- 
ed by his friends ; adverts with uncommon spir- 
it to the inhumanity and cruelty with which 
they inveighed against him ; and in recounting 
the sad events which should have excited them 
to commiserate and condole with him ; he intro- 
duces the text as a general truth supported by 
the testimony of experience and observation ; 
and as a plea with his Maker that lie would 
£rant him a little respite, or mitigation of his 






176 

wretchedness. And though his prayer was 
more than answered, so that he lived in prosper- 
ity, a hundred and forty years, after the peculiar 
and unprecedented troubles with which he was 
then afflicted ; yet, when we consider the thou- 
sands of years which have passed away since he 
bid adieu to his friends, and went down to the 
silent mansions appointed for all the living, 
whither, multitudes, in thick succession, have 
been going, ever since, from that time to this ; — 
and that he would often see or hear of such dis- 
asters as human nature is heir to : even as 
it is respected him, it will doubtless be admit- 
ted, that, Man that is born of a woman is of 
few days, and full of trouble. And to these 
words our attention is now solicited, that we 
may be wise and consider our latter end. 

In the antediluvian age of the world the peri- 
od of human life was protracted to an astonish- 
ing length, compared with the scantiness of its 
present duration. They then planted and build- 
ed, married and were given in marriage ; and 
unmindful of their common Father and Benefac- 
tor, they indulged themselves in every species of 
vain amusement, till it repented the Lord that 
he had made man upon the earth. And though 
the space of a hundred and twenty years was 
granted them for repentance and reformation ; 
instead of acknowledging their past abuse of 
Divine mercy, and that they had gone astray, 
by departing from the living God ; their accus- 
tomed routine of ungodly mirth and festivity em- 
ployed all their attention, until the flood came 



177 

and took them away. And the same sinful bias, 
which is still prevalent in the human heart, has 
disposed the Most High to diminish greatly the 
number of our days ; and to draw an impenetra- 
ble veil over the few remaining ones, which, 
perhaps, are allotted us to live in the world. 

But if we ponder a moment, and consider 
the present limits of life in comparison with the 
nine hundred years and upwards which were 
attained to in the first age of the world ; it is 
believed, the declaration, that, Man that is born 
of a woman, is of few days, will acquire addi- 
tional force ; and that we shall almost be com- 
pelled to exclaim with the Psalmist : Verily, 
every man at his best estate, is altogether vani- 
ty. Nevertheless, when the term of life was 
more than ten times what it now is ; even then 
it was true, that, Man that is born of a woman 
is of few days. But after the earth was inun- 
dated by rain from heaven, what time its win- 
dows were opened, and the fountains of the 
great deep broken up ; the term of life was con- 
tracted, and soon confined to the limits to which 
it is now restricted. The days of our years are 
said by the Psalmist to be three score and ten ; 
from whose time to the present, the age of man 
has been, generally, limited to seventy or eighty 
years. 

The king of terrors is irresistible ; and the 
time of our departure, though removed from all 
human inspection, is entered on the page of 
eternity. At one moment we behold our fellow 
creatures active and cheerful ; at another, pale 



178 

and lifeless — their eyes closed in that profound 
sleep from which they will not awake till the 
heavens be no more. We see the children 
of men dropping in thick succession into the 
grave, without any discrimination of years, or 
days, or point of time, from infancy to old age. 
Our daily experience and observation have 
taught us, that man is a dying creature : That 
All flesh is grass, and all the goodliness thereof 
as the flower of the field. Even Christ, being 
born of a woman was not exempted from death. 
But, being perfectly holy and free from sin ; it 
was for the sin of others, and not for his own, 
for which he suffered, and for which he died. 
It is, nevertheless, an evil which we should nev- 
er have known ; were it not that we have lost 
the image of God ; and that, dead, in trespasses 
and sins, 

" The first young pulse begins to beat, 
Iniquity and death." 

But the days of man that is born of a woman 
are not only few ; but they are full of trouble. 
He is often made to possess months of vanity ; 
and wearisome nights are appointed unto him. 
Sin and sorrow are inseparable. And such as 
flatter themselves with the hope of finding a re- 
treat in which they may build their nest on high, 
and be free from trouble, will always find it 
ready armed against them/ to oppose their pro- 
gress, at every avenue, by which they may think 
to escape it. 



179 

The brightest things below the sun 
Give but a flattering light ; 

which, sometimes, indeed, shines only for a little 
while, to dazzle the possessor ; and then van- 
ishes when he is most in need of it. Our earth- 
ly possessions are held by a very flimsy and pre- 
carious tenure ; they often elude our grasp ; and 
we are continually liable to be stripped of them 
in a moment. We behold winds, inundations, 
tempest and fire, sweeping away the fair fabrics 
of earthly enjoyment ; consigning them to the 
shades of oblivion, and leaving nothing but the 
wreck of fallen greatness to perpetuate the re- 
membrance of our losses. And in these dis- 
tressing events we see that man is born to 
trouble ; that riches take to themselves wings and 
fly away as an eagle toward heaven ; and thatf 
no created good can render immortal beings 
susceptible of lasting happiness. 

In contemplating the trials of Job, we shall 
find the best of instruction, and a faithful mir- 
ror reflecting in the clearest manner the natural 
temper and disposition of the human heart. 
For, when his face was foul with weeping, and 
on his eye-lids was the shadow of death ; his 
friends scorned him. 

A little before this, he washed his steps with 
butter , and the rock poured him out rivers of oil. 
Then, IVhcn he went out through the city to the 
gate; the young men saw him, and hid them- 
selves ; and the aged arose, and stood up ; the 
princes refrained talking ; and the nobles held 



180 

their peace, Men gave ear to him, and waited, 
and kept silence at his counsel. 

But now the scene is reversed. The pious 
patriarch is given up, for a season, into the 
hand of the cruel adversary. Is he then re- 
garded as formerly, with respect and veneration % 
No : — He cries out of wrong, but, he is not 
heard; he cries aloud, but there is no judgment. 
In addition to all this, An assembly of base men, 
and viler than the earth, are congregated, and 
gone out against him, like the wide breaking in 
of waters, to mar his path, and to push away his 
feet. And now they have him in derision ; — and 
spare not to spit in his face, Knoiv now, saith 
he, that God hath overthrown me, and hath com- 
passed me with his net. — He hath fenced up my 
ivay that I cannot pass, and he hath set dark- 
ness in my path. He hath stripped me of my 
glory, and taken the crown from my head. He 
hath destroyed me on every side, and I am gone ; 
and mine hope hath he removed like a tree. He 
hath also kindled his wrath against me, and he 
count eth me unto him as one of his enemies. His 
troops come together, and raise up their way 
against me, and encamp round about my taberna- 
cle. He hath put my brethren far from me, and 
mine acquaintance are verily estranged from mc. 
My kinsfolk have failed, and my familiar friends 
have forgotten me. They that dwell in my 
house, and my maids count me for a stranger ! 
I am an alien in their sight. I called my ser- 
vant, and he gave me no answer ; I entreated 
him with my mouth. My breath is strange to 



181 

•ny wife, though I entreated for the children's 
sake of mine own body. Yea, young children 
despised me ; I arose, and they spake against 
me. Alh my inward friends abhor ed me ; and 
they ichom I loved are turned against me. My 
bone deaveth to my skin and to my flesh, and I 
am escaped with the skin of my teeth. Have 
pity upon me, have pity upon me, O ye my 
friends ; for the hand of God hath touched me. 

It is said in general terms, not that Job as an 
individual, whose great and complicated trials 
have been laid before you ; but Man that is 
born of a woman is of few days, and full of 
trouble. There are many, no doubt, in the 
shades of obscurity, in whom the hand of the Al- 
mighty has fastened the arrows of inexpressible 
sorrow ; the poison of which is daily drinking 
up the little remnant of spirits by which they 
are cheered along the borders of eternity. In 
view of such a melancholy transcript of human 
life, doubtless, brethren, you are ready to ex- 
claim : / loath it, I would not live cdway. 

But, if it still remain a question, whether 
from that time to this, the cup of human life has 
been, uniformly, alike, replenished with trouble, 
we have sufficient evidence in support of the 
fact. 

Observe, for instance, the patriarch Abraham 
sojourning in a strange land ; and, for the 
sake of peace, in the midst of a lawless and bar- 
barous people, receding from his right to the 
wells which had been dug for the use and ac- 
commodation of his household, and the supplv 



182 

of his cattle. The same remark is also applica- 
ble to Isaac. 

Among the troubles of good old Jacob, we 
see him, at one time, escaping for his life from 
the persecuting fury of his brother Esau ; at an- 
other, deceived, defrauded and disappointed by 
Laban : — and, at another — when the troubles of 
life gathered round him in thick succession, and 
faith was cold and languishing, he is heard to 
exclaim : All these things are against me. 

In examining the life of Joseph, we see him 
hated, persecuted, and sold into Egypt by his 
brethren ; who nearly twenty years after, when 
troubled on every side, and almost driven to 
despair, attributed to their former wickedness 
the great distress which had come upon them ; 
which, indeed was only a prelude of far greater 
calamity, and of that cruel bondage under 
which, for a long time, their descendants were 
held subjected. 

Consider the perils of the king of Israel, (not- 
withstanding his pre-eminent wisdom, meekness 
and piety,) in the house of Saul ; in the wilder- 
ness ; and as a fugitive, fleeing for his life from 
the hand of his own son ; on account of whose 
subsequent death, he discovers the poignancy of 
his grief by the most affecting and excessive la- 
mentations. 

Finally, in every age, so great and constant 
have been the troubles incidental to human life ; 
not of the Gentiles merely who knew not Gocl y 
and whose passions were their chief tormentors, 
but, of the friends and followers of \he blessed 



183 

Jesus ; that we have reason to believe some, at 
least, will be ready to exclaim with Paul : If in 
this life only we have hope, we are of all men 
most miserable. 

A few inferences will close the discourse. 
1. Our subject demands the attention of all; 
it is hoped, therefore that children and youth, 
especially such as are just beginning to act for 
themselves, will perceive in view of it, the 
exceeding preciousness of time, and the vast 
importance of the direction which the wise king 
of Israel has given them ; and that they will be- 
gin, in earnest, to remember now their Creator 
in the days of their youth. He, who left behind 
him this salutary injunction, was well acquaint- 
ed with the goodliness and vanity of youth ; he 
knew they were naturally inclined to depend too 
much upon health, happiness and long life, and 
to rejoice in their strength, activity and vigor, as 
their greatest glory, while they are cheered by 
the brilliancy of their future prospects : and, 
therefore, as a tender parent who is only solicit- 
ous for the best interest of his children, he earn- 
estly entreats them to remember now their Cre- 
ator ; to recollect that the days of darkness will 
be many ; and that God will bring them into 
! judgment. 

In whatever degree of gayety, wealth and 
splendor, we may now participate ; the time is 
fast approaching in which we must give them a 
parting hand, and bid them adieu for ever. He, 
who declares the end from the beginning, has 
determined the previously appointed times of 



184 

every individual, and the bounds of his habita- 
tion. At the consummation of this solemn pe- 
riod, the dust will return to the earth as it was, 
and the spirit to God who gave it. The state 
of man will then be unalterably fixed ; and his 
sentence eternally irrevocable will be passed 
upon him. 

It concerns all, therefore, of every descrip- 
tion and condition of life, old and young, who are 
cherishing hopes of future blessedness, to study 
diligently the word of God, and, with this sure 
word of prophecy, to compare their lives and 
characters, to see if their foundation be good, 
and their title genuine ; and whether as Paul 
observes they are now ready to be offered : As a 
prudent mariner, who is bound to a port in a 
strange country, consults the chart of the coast, 
that he may know the eddies, rocks and quick- 
sands, and the perils and dangers he is liable to 
on approaching them ; — or as an heir to an es- 
tate consults the will or instrument by which he 
is made to possess it, that he may know that his 
title in this security is incapable of disappoint- 
ment. 

Every one must be sensible, that the few days 
and full of trouble, assigned to man, as a term 
of probation, are of infinite value : That nothing 
less than the everlasting welfare of his precious 
and immortal soul, depends upon the due im- 
provement of this precarious and fluctuating pe- 
riod : That if the fleeting and golden moments 
of time are lost in pursuing a shadow — a useless 
round of folly and vanity, and in toiling for 



185 

whom we know not ; the only opportunity in 
which our eternal all can be made secure, will 
be lost beyond the possibility of a future redemp- 
tion. Every moment is diminishing the period 
allotted to us, and bringing us nearer and near- 
er, to the end of our days. When a few years 
are come we must go the way of all the earth, 
never more to enjoy a space for repentance, and 
the means of grace. It is a dictate of wisdom, 
then, to 

" Improve the present hour ; for all beside 
Is a mere feather on the torrent's tide." 

2. In view of the shortness and uncertainty 
of life, we are taught the propriety of sitting 
loose to the world. 

The time is hastening when the heavens shall 
pass away with a great noise — and the earth , 
and the ivories that are therein, shall be burnt 
up. Let us, then, be exhorted to set our affec- 
tions on things above, and not on things on the 
earth ; to employ all our time, and talents and 
property, and to manage all our concerns in 
such a manner, as that, whenever we are sum- 
moned to bid them adieu, we may have a good 
hope through grace, that the waves of trouble, 
which, perhaps, have so often threatened to 
swallow us up, will very soon convey us to the 
haven of eternal rest and joy, — where we shall 
behold the land that is afar orT; — and be filled 
with the fulness of Him who filleth all in all. 
Let us contrast the things temporal with the 
16* 



186 

things eternal ; and let us learn to prize them 
in proportion to their nature and durability.- 

We have commenced our existence for eter- 
nity, and are hastening onward to the judgment 
seat," and since we are soon to be summoned 
thither as naked as we came into the world, and 
to receive our sentence according to deeds done 
here in the body, whether they be good or bad ; 

" How vain are all things here below !" 

3. We see the folly of those, whose thoughts 
and affections are, nevertheless confined, wholly 
to the life that now is, in which all their happi- 
ness consists, and with which it will terminate 
for ever. If, on the borders of a precipice, to 
pursue, unheedingly, and with eager delight, a 
gaudy butterfly ; or if to hang suspended by a 
cord so slender, that, reason tells us, it must 
soon break, over a burning pit, would be deem- 
ed indicative of extreme folly ; how much great- 
er is the folly of those, whose ardent attachment 
to the fading objects of time and sense, forbids 
a thought of sober reflection to pass the bound- 
ary of the present world. Will not such be en- 
treated, then, to consider, speedily, that if they 
suffer the time allotted them to prepare for eter- 
nity to pass away in pursuing a shadow, instead 
of looking for a city which hath foundations, and 
securing a treasure there ; the door of mercy 
will, ere long, be closed for ever against them ; 
and their unavailing lamentations will be : Oh, 
how have we hated instruction, and our hearts 
despised reproof. 



187 

4. We see the wisdom and happy condition 
of those, whom conversation in the world, in 
the midst of the corruptions, vanities and vices 
of the present day, appertains to the one thing 
needful — who are not ashamed to avow their al- 
legiance to the Majesty of heaven — and, whose 
loyalty as the subjects of His kingdom is con- 
tinually apparent from the innocence and purity 
of their lives. 

As motives of encouragement to those of this 
character, they are now reminded, in view of 
the shortness and uncertainty of life, how in- 
comparably mean and diminutive are all earthly 
enjoyments ; inasmuch as they are chosen to be 
heirs of God, and joint heirs with Christ Jesus 
to a better and more enduring substance, un- 
fading and incorruptible. Here, indeed, while 
as pilgrims and strangers they travel the thorny 
maze of a fascinating world, their trials may be 
sharp and severe ; for the subtle adversary has 
spread a net for their feet ; and their enemies 
are lively and watch for their halting : but the 
sufferings of the present life are not worthy to 
be compared with the glory to be revealed when 
they shall eat of the hidden manna ; and enjoy 
for ever the society of saints and angels in the 
kingdom of God. 

In view of a prospect so full of joy ineffable, 
it behoves the followers of the lowly Jesus to 
look well to themselves ; — to watch unto prayer ; 
and to be ready to every good work : and though 
they may wrestle by the way with principalities 
and powers, and spiritual icickedness in high 



188 

places, they will conquer at the last. And when 
he who is their Life shall appear, they shall ap- 
pear with him in glory. 

Let them therefore be exhorted to wait with 
patience all the days of their appointed time till 
their change come ; for their time is short, the 
days of their pilgrimage are passing swiftly 
away ; and 

" A few more rolling suns, at most, 
Will land them on fair Canaan's coast." 

Let not any, then, be discouraged because of the 
ivay ; but let them lift up the hands which hang 
down, and the feeble knees ; and look for that 
blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the 
great God, and our Saviour Jesus Christ; — 
when he shall come to be glorified in his saints, 
and admired in all them that believe. Wlw then 
is that faithful and wise servant, whom his Lord 
when he comeih shall find so doing ? 

5. If the hand of God is concerned in bring- 
ing calamity upon us ; for, Affliction cometh not 
forth from the dust, neither doth trouble spring 
out of the ground; then it becomes us in a day 
of adversity to consider, but not to complain. 

Such is, however, the pride of the human 
heart, that man is naturally inclined to esteem 
the many benefits bestowed upon him as his just 
due. But, if sickness and poverty come upon 
him ; if his prospects, once flattering, be now 
blasted ; if he meet with opposition and disap- 
pointment in his worldly pursuits, or, if his 



189 

character be defamed, and his name cast out as 
evil ; does he not complain ? And, when he 
looks around him, and beholds, perhaps, some 
of his former associates, becoming more re- 
spectable than himself, and eminent in the 
world ; while the current of adversity sets 
athwart his way, and defeats the schemes he 
had formed with high hopes of success — does he 
not fret himself because of evil doers ? and, 
despairing at the sight of his own wretchedness 
— does he not wither in the breath of envy — 
and complain ? — as though he merited better 
treatment ! 

Albeit, it is said of Job, notwithstanding the 
many outward calamities that came upon him, 
that, in all this he sinned not icith his lips nor 
charged God foolishly. It, nevertheless, ap- 
pears, that after being smitten with sore boils, 
even Job exhibited a degree of impatience ; for, 
he opened his mouth and cursed his day. 

But whatever we receive is a gift of free 
grace : and, It 9 is of the Lord's mercies that ice 
are not consumed. Wherefore, then, doth a 
Li ring man complain, a man for the punishment 
of his sins ? 



190 



BENEFICENCL ENFORCED BY THE EXAMPLE OF 
CHRIST. 

Ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he 
was rich, vet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through 
his poverty might be rich. — 2 Corinthians, viii. 9. 

Paul, in these words, by reminding the 
church at Corinth of the benevolence of the 
Lord Jesus Christ, intended to excite in them 
a livelier exercise of a like disposition to the 
poor around them, especially to such of their 
brethren- as were known to be in want, and 
who for that reason, possessed the first and 
highest claim to their charities. How forcibly, 
then, would such arguing of his as this, come 
home to their consciences : — If spiritual bless- 
ings have been poured into your bosoms, in con- 
sequence of our labors among you in the minis- 
trations of the Gospel ; may we not, at least, 
expect a participation with you in the common 
blessings of life ? And, now, that through the pov- 
erty of the Lord Jesus Christ, you have become 
partakers of the heavenly inheritance : will you 
impart grudgingly to the poor? Especially will 
you account the bestowment of your carnal things 
upon the poor in Judea, of like precious faith 
with yourselves, and of whom, as concerning 
the flesh, Christ came, as too burdensome or too 
costly a sacrifice ? 

They had shown, it is true, on a former occa- 
sion, a spirit of liberality. For, they had begun 
before, not only to do, but, also, to be forward a 
year ago. Still as it regarded the duty that was 



191 

then incumbent upon them, there was an evi- 
dent lack of vigor and zeal, in carrying their 
good intentions into actual accomplishment. 
" Now, therefore," he says, " perform the doing 
of it ; that as there was a readiness to will, so 
there may be a performance, also, out of that 
which ye have." 

It is no less evident from his reasoning in his 
former letter, and the mention he makes in this, 
of their inferiority to other churches, from his 
not having been burdensome to them, that he 
was not in pursuit of his own emolument. "For 
in what," he asks, " were ye inferior to other 
churches, except it be that I was not burden- 
some to you ? forgive me this wrong." But 
from the benevolent and self-denying character 
of this chief apostle of the Gentiles, it is, never- 
theless, exceedingly manifest, that he greatly 
desired to expand, if possible, the nafrowness of 
their minds ; — to make them feel, that, in the 
ranks of those who were accounted worthy to 
be put into the ministry, he was not a whit be- 
hind the very foremost of them ; and, that, 
whatever were the motives of false apostles, his 
highest aim was not theirs ; but, to shut them 
up unto the faith. And while he labored and 
prayed incessantly for their enlargement ;^ he 
set before them, by his own example, the obli- 
gations they were under, by laboring with their 
own hands, as he had done, to support the 
weak ; and to keep in memory the words of 
their Lord, that, " It was more blessed to give 
than to receive." 



192 

Paul was, moreover, desirous that the exam- 
pie of those churches, by the munificence of 
whose gift, they had so strikingly shown the un- 
feigned sincerity of their love to the saints and 
gratitude to their God and Saviour, might be 
ever before them for their own imitation. He 
had the fullest assurance that the savor of such 
a spirit going forth in a willingness to impart, 
even beyond their power, of their earthly sub- 
stance to distant churches, which, perhaps, 
were scarcely less needy than themselves, would 
spread far and wide ; and that the more than 
princely munificence, which, notwithstanding 
their poverty, had been evinced by the Macedo- 
nian churches, would be rehearsed by unborn 
multitudes in future ages, as a theme of delight- 
ed conversation in remembrance of them. He 
was persuaded, too, that the example was such 
as would find a perpetual sanction in the proper 
spirit and genius of the Christian character. 
" For ye know/ 7 he says, " the grace of our 
Lord Jesus Christ, that though he w T as rich, yet 
for your sakes he became poor, that ye through 
his poverty might be rich.' 5 

Here, then, brethren, we have before us a 
perfect pattern of true benevolence. From this 
exhaustless Fountain of love and mercy, emanat- 
ed the glad tidings of great joy, which entered 
the ears of the shepherds of Bethlehem, as, in 
lonely watchfulness, they sat in charge of their 
flocks during the silent night under the canopy 
of heaven. That benevolence of him, who left 
the mansions of glory, which distinguishes the 



193 

angels of God, and circulates a thrill of joy 7 
through every dwelling of the blessed, when one 
sinner repenteth, broke forth from multitudes of 
the heavenly hosts, when he entered the abodes 
of sin and sorrow in our fallen world, in accla- 
mations of "Glory to God in/ the highest: 
on earth peace ; good will to men," But the 
benevolence of him, w'hose entrance into the 
world was announced by the song of angels, 
though so distinctly marked in every step of its 
progress, from the commencement to the termi- 
nation of his embassy — by every accent of his 
lips — by every deed of compassion or condescen* 
sion which he accomplished for the reconcilia- 
tion of the world — appears in still brighter char- 
acters in his labors and sufferings, till lifted up 
upon the cross, he exclaimed : " It is finished.' 3 
In exchanging the dazzling splendor of those 
abodes in heaven where countless myriads were 
bending before him, for a manger in a stable on 
earth, a life of obscurity and toil, of self-denial, 
and contradiction of sinners against himself, 
and finally, in becoming a sacrifice for their 
ransom, we have before us a development of the 
grace of the Lord Jesus Christ — of that benevo- 
lence — that loving kindness for the family of 
man — which is lofty as the heavens, and bound- 
less as the being of Him, who stretched them 
out as a tent to dwell in. 

First, then, for our edification, let us, at the 
outset of this discussion, employ our concep- 
tions, a few moments, in glancing at the riches 
of the Lord Jesus Christ, in connection witr> 
17 



194 

that grace which constrained him to leave the 
realms of light and glory in heaven, and become 
poor in a tabernacle of flesh on earth for our 
good. And, here, it may be remarked, that 
along with the exhibition of that grace of the 
Lord Jesus Christ, which has been already fur- 
nished, and is yet to be, alike furnished, both to 
the ransomed of the Lord, and to those who re- 
ceive it in vain ; there is, also, connected an 
unwavering respect for the majesty of the Eter- 
nal — a holy indignation for the tarnished honor 
of His law — a pious zeal to avenge the aggress- 
ions which the god of this world had made upon 
this newly created department of His domin- 
ions. For by means of his subtlety in tempting 
to revolt the first human pair, sin had entered 
the world, and corrupted the stock he had form- 
ed to overshadow with its branches the face of 
the earth. And the compassion of the Most 
High was stirred within Him, for the misery it 
brought with it to its teeming population. It 
was due also to the glory of His holy name, that 
the spoil of seduction be brought back — that 
the subjects taken be retaken — that captivity be 
led captive. And in carrying into accomplish- 
ment the arduous undertaking, he must become 
poor — he must relinquish the glory which he 
had with the Father before the world was — he 
must descend to earth — he must tabernacle in 
the flesh — he must sojourn in the abodes of pov- 
erty and wickedness with the dwellers of our 
world. 

Aside however, from any addition to the spJen- 



195 

dor of his crown engaged by the promise of his 
Father on his becoming poor — on his laying 
downhis life — and thus purchasing with his own 
blood the heathen for his inheritance, and the ut- 
termost parts of the earth for his possession ; he 
was already unspeakably rich in all the glories, 
adorations and blessedness of the heavenly 
w r orld. Ifin his tabernacle of flesh upon earth, 
he could summon more than twelve legions 
of angels ; if at his transfiguration upon the ho- 
ly mount, there was shed forth an effulgence 
overpowering to mortals ; how stupendous must 
have been the majesty of his person when array- 
ed in all the glory of his Father, and the retinue 
of heaven doing homage to his name. 

But, there was sympathy for man — their was 
pity for their sufferings — and though they were 
enemies, there, nevertheless, existed for them a 
love which many waters could not quench nor 
the floods drown. O how immeasurable then 
was this love ! And though it is true that they, 
for whom the apostolic monition in the text was 
primarily intended, knew something of it by 
their own experience, from its having been shed 
abroad in their hearts by the Holy Ghost ; yet 
the height, and depth, and length, and breadth 
of it, were, nevertheless, inconceivable, and 
passing the knowledge of created intelligence. 
In however as far as the knowledge of a thing 
was possible to a finite capacity ; in making 
known to a wayward portion of His family, that 
grace of the Lord Jesus Christ which may well 
be marvellous in our eyes ; the counsels of the 



196 

Most High pointed him to our earth as the prop- 
er theatre for displaying it. And, therefore, 

Secondly, As the condescension of the Lord 
Jesus Christ in becoming poor that "we might be 
rich is a demonstration of his grace ; so, also, it 
is a demonstration of the poverty of our world. 

In bending His way from the height of His 
sanctuary to this revolted province of His em- 
pire, to become the babe of Bethlehem ; to toil 
and suffer ; to endure the privations of poverty 
and want, and become of no reputation ; and to 
■eat with publicans and sinners — not as an ap- 
proval of sin — not as having fellowship with the 
workers of iniquity — but to shame us out of our 
pride, and recover from the perdition that await- 
ed it, a race of wanderers in dreary alienation 
from peace and purity ; there was, in every step 
from beginning to end till he was nailed to the 
accursed tree, such a rich and glorious display 
of free, sovereign, unmerited grace, as must 
send back to principalities and powers in heav- 
enly places, a tide of astonishment that would 
roll through ail the borders of the celestial, and 
fill all heaven with admiration. This stooping, 
too, from the throne of His glory, was a demon- 
stration of His grace ; inasmuch as he became 
poor, not that earthly treasures were beyond his 
control. For, <i All things were made by Him ; 
and without Him was not any thing made, that 
was made." And, though He had not where 
to lay His head ; the wind and waves were 
hushed at His bidding ; and the fish, at His 
word, did bring from the waters a tribute for 



197 

Csesar. Neither did He become poor in the 
sense in which, all the families of the earth 
having no hope, and without God in the world, 
were indeed poor ; and for whose sakes He 
came down from heaven. For, verily, He was 
" an Israelite indeed in whom was no guile." 
And, though He was, in all points, tempted, 
like as we are, it was, yet, without sin. His re- 
linquishment of the habitations of eternity and 
a throne of glory, which myriads of cherubim 
and seraphim circled rejoicing, and subjection 
to want and toil with the inhabiters of earth, 
must, consequently, have been voluntary ; to 
teach us the insufficiency of earthly riches to 
purchase heaven ; and that godliness with con- 
tentment is far more valuable, and far greater 
gain. 

Is then the condescension of the Lord Jesus 
Christ in becoming poor that we might be rich 
a demonstration of the poverty of our world I 
If it be not so, what significancy can we attach 
to being " all gone out of the way V lost, cap- 
tives under the dominion of sin and the wicked 
one — enemies by wicked works — wretched, and 
miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked ; and 
the embassy of the Lord Jesus Christ " to seek 
and save" — to put to flight the powers of dark- 
ness — to lead captivity captive — to reconcile to 
God a world lying in wickedness — to make 
peace by the blood of His cross — and become 
poor, that we might be rich ? 

And are any still insensible of their poverty, 
and the jeopardy of their condition ? — contem- 
17* 



196 

plating the character of Christ as coming down 
from heaven to seek and save that which was 
lost, and as the only Saviour of sinners ; yet re- 
garding him without form or comeliness, and 
perceiving in His condescension to a fallen 
world no beauty that they should desire Him ? — 
covered with wounds, and bruises, and putrefy- 
ing sores ; yet deeming themselves in no need 
of a physician ? — esteeming the durable riches 
and righteousness, he has bought with his blood ; 
and which He freely offers, without money and 
without price, unworthy of their acceptance ? 
and judging themselves unworthy of everlasting 
life? 

Let us then, carry our contemplations to that 
season of bliss when the morning stars sang to- 
gether, and all the sons of God shouted for joy, 
The tempter enters the terrestrial paradise. 
He conceals the malignity of his nature. His 
words are smoother than oil. He withdraws 
man from his innocence. And now, when " the 
righteous is bold as a lion ;" the progenitor of 
his fallen family hearing the voice of the Lord 
God among the trees of the garden, withdraws 
and hides himself Alas ! he has violated the 
command which went forth from the throne of 
the Eternal. He has become a wanderer from 
the way of holiness. The sweet communion he 
once enjoyed with his Maker has terminated. 
He has forfeited His favor. And, banished 
from the garden of God, he is doomed in the 
sweat of his face to eat bread all the days of his 
life. " Sin has entered into the world, and 



199 

death by sin : and so death passed upon all men, 
for that all have sinned : As it is written, There 
is none righteous ; there is none that under- 
standeth." And who will not say that we are 
poor indeed ? 

Now the poverty of the Lord Jesus Christ is 
a process of restoration. The result of this 
process is a consummation of his grace — an ac- 
complishment of the mercy of the Most High to 
the alienated fugitive — a bringing forth of the 
top-stone of the superstructure with shoutings, 
crying, Grace, grace, unto it. By becoming 
poor that we might be rich — by laying down 
his life the just for the unjust — we are bought 
with his blood. It is the Lord Jesus Christ's 
becoming poor, that we might be rich ; which 
sets forth to a fallen world a propitiation for sin ; 
which opens the gates of light that were barred 
against us ; which proposes the invitations of 
his mercy, and a revenue of moie value than 
gold and more precious than rubies, and beck- 
oning us to the company of the blessed, empow- 
ers him, in virtue of the promise that he should 
see of the travail of his soul and be satisfied, to 
entreat us, in the most endearing manner, to re- 
ceive him as our Saviour — to buy of him gold 
tried in the fire, that we may be rich ; and 
white raiment, that we may be clothed. It is 
this which prepares the way, to unfold, to the 
understanding of all, the justice of the Most 
High, in the justification of the believing trans- 
gressor. And, finally, it is this which implants 
a perpetual rejoicing— and eternal joy in God 



200 

through our Lord Jesus Christ, in the hearts of 
all, who, through the knowledge of his grace 
have become partakers of the Divine nature, 
and heirs of the riches of the kingdom of heaven. 

In what manner then could a demonstration 
of this grace be set forth to an assembled uni- 
verse in characters more legible ; in light more 
convincing ; or, in its process more worthy of 
Him, who spake, and it was done ; who com- 
manded, and it stood fast ? 

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ may, 
nevertheless, be known by multitudes, in such 
wise as the word and way of life was known by 
the people of Israel, who, seeing, saw not, and 
hearing did not hear, nor understand, and yet 
known to no purpose. It is truly and properly 
known by those only, who, by knowing his 
grace, having come to the true knowledge of 
themselves, as offending rebels, and far from 
righteousness, — and that without Christ they 
could do nothing, have cast down at the foot of 
his cross the weapons of their rebellion — receiv- 
ed him as the Captain of their salvation — and 
built up upon him, as the only foundation of hope 
to a fallen world. And, therefore, 

Thirdly, Would we be deemed worthy of the 
heavenly inheritance ; our knowledge of the 
grace of the Lord Jesus Christ in becoming 
poor, that we might be rich, must include a 
turning from sin to holiness — a new heart and 
a new spirit, that, having fellowship with Christ. 
is qualified for heaven, and the society of the 
holy who people its dwelling places, There 



201 

must be an approval of the inner man of the 
method of restoration, through the poverty of 
the Lord Jesus Christ — of epening his eyes upon 
his nakedness — of abasing his pride — and — by 
casting down imaginations, and every high 
thing which exalteth itself against the knowl- 
edge of God — of subduing, and bringing back to 
His favor the prodigal exile ; that he may inher- 
it substance, by receiving into the treasures of 
his heart those durable riches — that meekness, 
and gentleness which come down from above. 
There must be a mortification of our members — 
a crucifixion of the old man — a fastening to the 
cross of its affections and lusts — an inward relin- 
quishment of fathers, and mothers, and brethren, 
and wife, and sisters — of all that one hath, yea, 
and of one's own life also ; or we have not yet 
attained to such a knowledge of his grace, as 
will render us in favor with God, or meet for the 
inheritance of the saints in light. 

There may be a manifestation of the grace of 
the Lord Jesus Christ, without a particle of that 
knowledge of his grace which fits us for the ho- 
ly city, and the service of its citizens. A dis- 
play of this grace is now present to every indi- 
vidual of this assembly. And do any inquire to 
what purpose ? Inspiration answers : To be a 
savor of life unto life, or of death unto death. 
For though our Lord Jesus Christ became poor 
to reconcile us to God, and thus to put us into 
possession of the true riches ; we are still poor, 
and are his enemies, notwithstanding, unless we 
have known his grace by such an influence up- 



202 

on our hearts as has rendered them the fitful 
habitations of God through the Spirit. 

An announcement of the grace of the Lord 
Jesus Christ through the preaching of the cross, 
may to many have been foolishness. The day- 
spring from on high, which is poured upon their 
path, instead of enlightening, may have blinded 
their eyes. The word of the Lord to them may 
have been, " Line upon line, line upon line; 
precept upon precept, precept upon precept." 
And, yet, after all, there may have been a fail- 
ure in them of the grace of God ; and a fulfil- 
ment of that which is spoken of in the prophets, 
may, notwithstanding, have come upon them 
that they may wonder and perish. And though 
in his errand to the sinners of our world, the 
birth of the Lord Jesus Christ in a manger, was 
one step of the process in purchasing for them 
a renovation of the heart ; though he submitted 
to a life of ignominy, that we might walk before 
him in meekness and humility ; though he ex- 
pired upon the cross, and was with the wicked 
in his death, to set before us a lesson of self-de- 
nial and self-abasement ; and finally, though he 
burst the fetters of his tomb, and entered into 
his glory, to prepare us by his word and spirit 
for everlasting habitations : it is- very possible, 
notwithstanding all this, that, in the great day 
of final account, we may behold Abraham, and 
Isaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets, in the 
kingdom of God ; and some of us thrust out. 

The great things of God's law may have been 
^vritten to Ephraim ; and he may yet, notwith- 



203 

standing, have been joined to idols. He may 
have always resisted the holy Ghost. He may 
have filled up the measure of his iniquity. His 
end may have come, and the measure of his cov° 
etousness. The kingdom of God may have 
come nigh unto him ; and yet, it is very possi- 
ble, it may not have been established in his 
heart, in such a manner, as to lead him to re~ 
pair to the Lord Jesus Christ, as the only Ark 
of safety, and to rest in him as his All. 

If, however, on our part, our knowledge of 
the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ in becoming 
poor, that we might be rich, has, indeed, led us 
to a reception of him as the Captain of our sal- 
vation ; then have we fled for refuge to the hope 
set before us. Then feeble and impotent, our 
application to the Lord Jesus Christ has result- 
ed in a deep conviction, that, without the aid 
he offers for the acquirement of these riches, 
our poverty will be our destruction — that indif- 
ference to his embassy of mercy to seek and 
save, will be a seal of condemnation ; — and, 
having heard and obeyed his word, he has be- 
come to our soul as the munitions of rocks. 
Having girded on the whole armor of God, ani- 
mated by him who has overcome the world, and 
the god of this world — who exclaims : " It is 
I — Greater is he that is in you, than he that is 
in the world ; — as the soldiers of his cross, we 
have crone forth to wrestle, not against flesh and 
blood, but, " against principalities, against pow- 
ers, against the rulers of the darkness of this 
world, against spiritual wickedness in high pla- 



204 

ces, J) assured of victory, and a crown of glory. 
Having entered by him, who is the Door, the 
Way, the Truth, and the Life ; we go in and 
out without fear ; and are looking forward by 
faith to full fruition from the river of his pleas- 
ures, when we awake in his likeness. Therefore, 

Fourthly. They, whose knowledge of the 
grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, embraces, in a 
measure, the spirit and character of Christ, are 
preparing for riches in heavenly places. They 
have treasure in store where neither moth nor 
rust corrupt — where no thief approaches, to 
break through or steal. Their inheritance is 
secure from the care, deceitfulness, vexation, 
vicissitude, uncertainty and instability, which 
pertain to the every affluent steward of that dust 
of the earth, an account of which, as of every 
other blessing is soon to be rendered at the bar 
of heaven. The excellency of the knowledge 
of Christ Jesus their Lord, is esteemed by them 
as of more value than all earthly possessions. 
And, hence, as pilgrims and strangers, who 
have here no abiding city ; if defrauded by in- 
justice, or oppressed by the hand of extortion^ 
they will take " joyfully the spoiling of their 
goods ;•" and however splendid, however prince- 
ly their fortunes, yet will they forsake all with- 
out repining — yet, gladly, will they suffer the 
loss of all things for Christ's sake. 

He is the source of their rest, and the centre 
of their affections, whence flow their supplies of 
strength and wisdom, to serve or to suffer, ac- 
cording to his will. He imparts to their souls a 



205 

feast of fat things in the comfort of the holy 
Ghost, joy in God, and peace in believing. By 
the law of his mouth he dispenses to them a 
treasure better than thousands of gold and sil- 
ver — a banquet sweeter than honey to their taste, 
whereby they are fed and regaled with new vig- 
or ; that they may run and not be weary, and 
walk and not faint. His word is also ever be- 
fore them, both as a lamp to their path, and as a 
well of salvation ; whence they may draw, at all 
times, a balm for the broken in heart — an ever- 
during consolation for the every trial of life. 
The blessed Saviour himself inspires them with 
it, being in them the hope of glory ; and pro- 
nouncing, 

" All joy to the believer — he can speak, 
Trembling, yet happy, confident, yet meek." 

For whatever may be the kind or measure of 
their sufferings, afflicted in faithfulness, and not 
in anger, the fruit will be to take away sin ; and 
to make them conquerors, and more than con- 
querors : so that faith, in the mean time, extend- 
ing their vision to the recompense of reward 
prepared to be given them ; having finished 
their course, they will bid adieu to the world 
with its flattering prospects, beguiling words and 
delusive promises, uttering in triumph : O 
death, where is thy sting? And, having come 
to the day of their redemption, with songs and 
everlasting joy upon their heads, they will enter 
the portals of their Father's house ; and be rich 
for ever in the dwellings of righteousness. 
18 



206 

Furthermore, as the things that are impossi* 
ble with men are possible with God ; there may, 
therefore, be some, indeed, there may be many, 
who have goods in store for many years — houses 
and lands, and treasure untold in their coffers — 
and a disposition withal, to use the world as not 
abusing it — by " distributing to the necessities 
of the saints" — by consecrating as in the fear of 
the Lord their every talent to the proper end of 
its gracious and merciful bestowment— and by 
doing good to all as they have opportunity. 

From all that has been said we are led to in- 
quire : If such was the riches of the Lord Jesus 
Christ in the glory which he had with the Fa- 
ther before the world was ; what an accession, 
then, will there be to the splendor of his king- 
dom, when the promise to us, to our children, 
to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord 
our God shall call, shall have received its final 
accomplishment — When the glory of the Lord 
having risen upon every isle and continent of 
our world, Jerusalem shall be habited in her 
beautiful garments — When the kings of the 
earth with their glory and honor shall have enter- 
ed the holy city — When unborn multitudes hav- 
ing been added to the company, shall swell 
the song of that innumerable retinue which 
John saw in vision, and heard, as the voice of 
many waters, uttering with one accord : " Unto 
him that loved us, and washed us from our sins 
in his own blood : — Blessing, and honor, and 
glory, and power, be unto him who sitteth on 
the throne ; and unto the Lamb for ever and 
ever." In view of this discussion. 



207 

2. It appears that there will be a resurrec- 
tion, both for the just and for the unjust. " For, 
if the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised ; 
and if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain ; 
ye are yet in your sins." Many reputed rich as 
to this world's goods, are found in a final set- 
tlement of their accounts incapable of answer- 
ing the demands of their creditors. There is 
that maketh himself rich, yet hath nothing : 
there is that maketh himself poor, yet hath great 
riches. But, at the consummation of all things, 
when the King of Zion shall have made up his 
jewels, and all, that from the beginning to the 
end of time, having slept in the dust of the 
earth, shall have awakened, some to everlasting 
life, and some to shame and everlasting con- 
tempt ; they shall then " return, and discern be- 
tween the righteous and the wicked, between 
him that serveth God and him that serveth him 
not." Inasmuch as, 

3. We must all appear before the judgment 
seat of Christ ; that every one may give account 
of himself, concerning the manner in which he 
has used and regarded the every blessing, which, 
his relinquishment of riches and subjection to 
poverty have procured to the every member of 
all the families of the earth. One melting of 
repentance for sin — one aspiration of gratitude 
to the throne of heaven, may then for Christ's 
sake obtain the favor of our Judge. But, " If 
our hearts condemn us, God is greater than 
our hearts." If we have not repented of our 
sins in this life they will rise in judgment 



208 

against us in the life to come. But, if the testi- 
mony of our conscience that we have had our 
conversation in the world in simplicity and godly 
sincerity, be the rejoicing of our hearts ; then 
let us follow on to know the Lord, giving all dil- 
igence, that, at the appearing of the Lord Jesus 
Christ in the last great day, we may be found 
of him in peace. 

And, O, how unspeakably solemn and awful 
will be the decisions of that day ! For, one, 
who, for Christ's sake, may have given a cup of 
cold water only to one of his disciples, will, in 
that day, inherit glory. And another, who may 
have given all his substance to feed the poor, 
and his body to the flames, for his own, and not 
for Christ's sake, will in that day, be covered 
with shame and lie down in sorrow. Many, al- 
so, in that day, who will say, Lord, Lord, will 
hear from the Lord Jesus Christ the answer ; 
" I never knew you. Depart from me ye work- 
ers of iniquity." And, yet, the innumerable 
company who will witness the transactions of 
that day will see and feel, that, 

4. There is no respect of persons with God — 
" That every one, according to his works wrought 
in the body, there takes character." That God 
is just. And that the world is judged in right- 
eousness, " by that man whom He hath ordained ; 
whereof He hath given assurance unto all men, 
in that He hath raised him from the dead." 
And as all have sinned and come short of His 
glory ; in inflicting punishment upon the unbe- 
lieving and abominable ; and in showing mercy, 



209 

fur Christ's sake, to the believer in Jesus, ab- 
solving him from all guilt, and justifying him free- 
ly by His grace ; the Divine justice will then be 
seen, and acknowledged by every intelligent be- 
ing of the assembled universe. Now, then, 

5. Let an obedient ear be rendered to the 
word 'of exhortation beseeching you, also, that ye 
receive not the grace of God in vain. Be en- 
treated, to this end, by setting open the avenues, 
to welcome Divine truth into the secrecies of 
your hearts. And in both the busy movements 
of the day, and retired silence of the night, let 
the seriousness of your meditations both ponder 
and cherish it. And now, to-day, even now, 
while a voice from heaven is urging upon us the 
kind and benevolent requisition : " My son," — 
my daughter, " give me thy heart ; we must do 
it cheerfully, and without reserve. For, to be 
almost persuaded is a fearful crisis — the time 
being short — and our condition soon to be set- 
tled for ever. 

O, think then of the retributions of eternity. 
Think of the joy and gladness of the righteous. 
Think of the weeping and wailing of the wick- 
ed. And let it banish from the mind all giddi- 
ness, and all levity of spirit. And from the hope 
of Heaven's favor, on the one hand — and the 
terror of Heaven's armory and weapons of in- 
dignation on the other ; may the spirit of holi- 
ness awaken incentives and resolution of pur- 
pose to give the more earnest heed to the things 
which you have heard ; that vou may be neither 
18* 



210 

barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our 
Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. 

Be assured, moreover, though, you may have 
heard the word with joy ; though you may have 
listened with attention ; and though it may have 
produced something like a transient tenderness 
upon your minds ; unless it spring up in fruits 
meet for repentance — in both the inward dispo- 
sition and outward act of doing justly, loving 
mercy and walking humbly with God ; the re- 
ception of His grace, by you, will, notwithstand- 
ing, have been in vain. The savor of Divine 
truth must go forth from the heart, in such a 
display of the meekness and gentleness of Christ 
as all its adversaries shall not be able to gain- 
say, or resist. Or to Him, who seeth not as 
man seeth, it may still be evident that you have 
not evinced your reception of the kingdom of 
God as a little child by placing yourselves with 
like docility at the feet of Jesus, both to hear 
and learn, that you may do, and be obedient. 
" For not the hearers of the law are just before 
God ; but the doers of the law shall be justified. 
For if any be a hearer of the word and not a 
doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natu- 
ral face in a glass ; for he beholdeth himself 
and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth 
what manner of man he was.' ; In conclusion, 

6. " If any man love not the Lord Jesus 
Christ, let him be Anathema, Maran-atha." 

O, who is like unto the Lord our God, who 
humbleth himself to behold the things which are 



211 

in heaven, and that are in the earth ; and who 
is saying to us and to every individual : Come, 
now, and let us reason together ; though your 
sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as 
snow, though they be red like crimson, they 
shall be as wool. If we say, then, that we have 
no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not 
in us. For sin has entered into the world, and 
death by sin ; and so death passed upon all men, 
for that all have sinned. The gold has become 
dim — the fine gold is changed. And man, be- 
ing made a little lower than the angels, and 
crowned with glory and honor, having violated 
the law which is holy and just and good, must 
return to Thee by repentance, and by faith in 
the Lord Jesus Christ, as the only Door of hope 
— the only Ark of safety, and only Foundation 
laid in Zion, or perish for ever. And oh, may 
this precious and consoling truth, — this faithful 
saying and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ 
Jesus came into the world to save sinners ; and 
that He died for our sins, according to the scrip- 
tures ; be received and embraced by us with 
such ineffable joy, as shall give us reason to hope 
that the lusts of the flesh, the lusts of the eye 
and the pride of life, have been nailed to His 
cross ; that old things having passed away, and 
all things become new, the hope of glory is form- 
ed in our souls ; and that we have crucified the 
flesh with its affections and lusts. May such a 
holy indifference to the vanities of time, such 
earnest desires of conformity to Thee, be im- 



212 

planted in our hearts, as shall constrain us to 
say with Thy servant : God forbid that we 
should glory save in the cross of our Lord Jesus 
Christ ; and may the world through Him be 
crucified to us, and we to the world. May the 
summit of all our hopes and of all our desires be 
to know Christ, and the power of His resurrec- 
tion, and the fellowship of His sufferings — to at- 
tain to such a knowledge of His grace, who, 
though He was rich, yet for our sakes be- 
came poor, that we through his poverty might 
be rich, as shall bring us, in whatever condition 
we are, therewith to be content — to know both 
how to to be abased and how to abound — to take 
pleasure in reproaches for Christ's sake, and to 
feel assured, that we " can do all things, or can 
bear all sufferings, if our Lord be there. ' ; 

And while we adore the goodness, forbear- 
ance and long-suffering of God, which waited in 
the days of Noe, which has been exemplified in 
regard to the family of man, ever since, and to 
us in particular ; may we know in this our day 
the things w T hich belong to our peace, and get 
good by the various means Thou art using with 
us, to bring us to know and to fear thy name. 
May the fruit of our affliction be to take away 
sin ; and may every event whether joyous or 
grievous, be overruled for our spiritual profit. And 
assured that a state of rewards is prepared for the 
just and of punishment for the unjust, and that if 
a man die, he shall live again ; may we wait 
with patience all the days of our appointed time 



213 

till our change come. And though the weight 
of our trials may be such, as that we may not 
improperly adopt the language of the primitive 
Christians : If in this life only we have hope in 
Christ, we are of all men most miserable ; yet 
let us not presume to fret ourselves in any wise 
to do evil, or to say that we do well to be angry. 
For, shall we receive good at the hand of our God, 
and-shall we not receive evil 1 Being fully persuad- 
ed that a day of retribution is near, and that soon we 
must stand before the judgement-seat of Christ, 
to give account of deeds done here in the body ; 
may we never be left to say with the vain, the 
thoughtless and the unbelieving : Let us eat and 
drink, for to-morrow we die : But believing, 
that, if we sow to the flesh, we shall of the flesh 
reap corruption, and that, if we sow to the spir- 
it, we shall of the spirit reap life everlasting ; 
instead of employing our members as instru- 
ments of unrighteousness unto uncleanness, and 
of iniquity unto iniquity, may all our members 
be employed as the instruments of righteousness, 
that our fruit may be unto holiness and the end 
everlasting life. And knowing, too, that this 
corruptible must put on incorruption, and this 
mortal immortality ; may we be circumspect, 
upright and inoffensive in all our behavior ; that 
when He who is the believer's Life shall appear, 
we, also, may appear with Him in glory. Bless- 
ed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus 
Christ, who, according to His abundant mercy 
hath begotten us again unto a lively hope, by 



214 

the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 
unto an inheritance incorruptible, undenled, and 
that fadeth not away — That He who emerged 
from the dark dominions of death as the fore- 
runner of His people, having spoiled him of his 
scepter, has borne the keys of his prison in tri- 
umph to heaven. And that the hour is coming 
in the which all that are in their graves shall 
hear His voice, and shall come forth. Oh, may 
we then be found without spot and blameless, 
that, instead of awaking to shame and everlast- 
ing contempt, we may hail the dawn of that ap- 
proaching morning, when, with all that have di- 
ed in the Lord, these perishable bodies shall be 
ransomed from the long-silent habitations of the 
dead, raised in power and glory, and caught up 
with them that are alive and remain to meet the 
Lord in the air ; that we may be numbered with 
the saints in glory everlasting, and blend our 
voices with numbers without number in praise 
and thanksgiving to Him who sitteth on the 
throne and unto the Lamb, for ever and ever, 
Amen. 



215 



THE OBEDIENCE OF FAITH. 

Ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. For as 
many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on 
Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither 
bond nor free, there is neither male nor female, for ye are all 
one in Christ Jesus. And if ye be Christ's then are ye Abra- 
ham's seed, and heirs according to the promise. — Gala- 
tians iii. 26 — 29. 

The Gospel of Christ is the power of God to 
salvation to every one that belie veth. And as we 
are saved by grace through faith, and that not 
of ourselves, it being the gift of God; there can 
be no restoration to His favor for any of the mem- 
bers of His alienated family, aside from the rich- 
es of that sovereign mercy which He deigns to 
exercise as seemeth good in His sight. Such a 
faith only as implies just and worthy notions of 
His nature and attributes, can constitute the 
union to Him that is necessary to enable us to 
grow, or even to proceed a single step in the 
Divine life. It would be infinitely beneath the 
dignity of his character to consider him as Elias, 
or Jeremias, or any one of the prophets. Our 
views of the offices of Christ as our Prophet to 
instruct, our Priest to atone, and King to rule 
over us, must be such as shall lead us to look 
away from ourselves, and to expect salvation as 
sinners, in no other way than through the aton- 
ing sacrifice which he has offered up for trans- 
gressors, by laying down his life, the just for 
the unjust to bring us to God. This death of 
Christ is the only medium of that spiritual life 
which implies faith. 



216 

Tf we were shut up in prison and sentenced to 
suffer death by the hand of an executioner, 
should we not leap for joy to behold a messen= 
ger, who should set open the doors of our prison 
and assure us that a beloved friend had appear- 
ed and offered himself to die for us ; and that 
on pleading guilty, acknowledging the justice of 
our condemnation, and expressing our gratitude 
to the purchaser of our pardon, we should be at 
liberty to go, whenever and wherever we pleas- 
ed ? If we were told, moreover, that in a little 
time, the prison doors which were then open 
would be closed again ; and that notwithstand- 
ing the overtures of so kind a friend, the liabili- 
ty to death of all who should be found the in- 
mates of the prison when the executioner arriv- 
ed would remain in full force ; should we not 
be fools indeed, to prefer a continued confine- 
ment in abodes so dreary and so appalling ? 
What should we think, then, if there was such 
unbelief, such a sullen contempt of the messen- 
ger, and such indifference to the interference of 
so kind a friend, as should lead not a few of the 
prisoners to remain where they were, and to 
reap at last the inevitable fruit of their perverse- 
ness and folly ? 

Now the Gospel of salvation is addressed to 
sinners as shut up in prison under condemna- 
tion of the sentence of eternal death, with the 
joyful news that one who speaks in righteous- 
ness, mighty to save, by coming down from 
heaven and laying down his life as a sacrifice to 
God on our behalf, has purchased a free and full 



217 

pardon for all our offences on our pleading guil- 
ty, acknowledging the justice of the sentence 
which has gone forth against us, expressing our 
gratitude to the purchaser of our pardon, and 
giving thanks to God for his unspeakable gift. 
And, Oh ! may the glad tidings of great joy, 
through the blood and righteousness of Christ, as 
a propitiation presented to God for a world ly- 
ing in wickedness, be embraced, to-day, by you, 
my offending hearers against His holy law, and, 
consequently, at open war with all the wise and 
equitable measures of His administrations, as 
good news from a far country, and as living wa- 
ters in a dry and thirsty land where no water is, 
with all that abasement and self abhorrence of 
yourselves as rebels — all that gratitude to Christ 
for what he has done in procuring your par- 
don, — and thanksgiving to God for devising and 
making known to you the way of your ransom 
and acceptance before Him, which will bring 
you to become His willing and obedient chil- 
dren by faith in Christ Jesus. 

Ye are all, says the apostle, the children of 
God by faith in Christ Jesus. From the inqui- 
ry of the prophet : Who hath believed our re- 
port? It is a plain case, that, unless the bond 
of our union to him is of such a nature as ena- 
bles us to derive from him all our life and 
strength and nourishment, as the branch from 
the vine, we are, still, notwithstanding all he has 
done to bring us in favor with God, in the same 
condition as the ungrateful and unbelieving pris- 
oners, who paid no attention to the good news 
19 



218 

announced to them, of the vast expense of pro- 
viding the means of their ransom, still preferring 
the wretched dreariness of their confinement to 
the enjoyment of liberty and restoration to of- 
fended justice on the terms proposed. 

Now, as faith comes by hearing, it is through 
the preaching of the Gospel, the announcing to 
the sinner of his lost and needy condition, and 
the riches of the glory of the inheritance provid- 
ed for him through the blood of the cross, that 
that faith, by the Spirit of the living God, is be- 
gotten in his heart, which brings him out of a 
state of captivity and alienation, into a state of 
favor and acceptance ; and makes him heir to 
all the blessings of an adopted child. — This, 
then, is the privilege of the children of God. 
Parents, in general, we all know, have a very 
tender regard for their children. They seek 
their welfare, and endeavor to promote their 
best interest by all the means in their power. 
It is, nevertheless, a common thing, that they 
are unable to do half as much as they would be 
glad to do, if they had the means. But God is 
able to do for all, who become his children by 
faith in Christ Jesus, exceeding abundantly above 
all that they are able to ask, or even to conceive. 

Faith, the living bond of union to Christ, by 
which believers in him become heirs and joint 
heirs with him of the same inheritance, they are 
commanded in the Gospel to signify by baptism. 
They are to be baptized into a belief of his 
death and resurrection, as the procuring cause 
of their death to sin, and of their resurrection 



219 

to a state of holiness and newness of life. By 
their burial with him, by baptism into his death, 
they are to become dead to sin, and to walk no 
longer like the unbelieving world in the vanity 
of their minds. By this baptism into Christ, 
the believer expresses his obligation to do his 
commandments, and his faith in his word, that 
he came down from heaven, to set open by his 
sufferings and death, to the whole family of 
man, a way of restoration from a state of bond- 
age to sin and the wicked men, to that favor of 
the Most High which is life, and that loving 
kindness which is better than life. This un- 
speakable kindness of God our Saviour to the 
children of men, awakens in the believer those 
ravishing views of the worth, and excellence, 
and glory of his character, which render him 
dead to all the passing attractions of time and 
delusive wiles of a deceitful world. His attach- 
ment to all the riches and honors with which it 
seeks to allure him, like the house of Saul be- 
comes weaker and weaker ; when in connection 
with these, there is set before him the command 
of his Lord, and the kingdom of God and His 
righteousness, as the first and more immediate 
objects of his willing obedience and untiring 
search. By his baptism into Christ there is 
shadowed forth the change that had passed up- 
on him, so great and so astonishing, that it is styl- 
ed by our Lord, a being born again, and by 
Paul, a new creation. He is renewed now in 
the temper of his mind. He comes forth now 
in a new character. He is imbued now with a 



220 

spirit of love and good will to all. He is griev- 
ed now for the afflictions of Joseph. He prays 
now for the peace of Jerusalem ; and rejoices in 
the' various means and instruments employed by 
the Most High for its extension and triumph to 
the ends of the earth. 

Instead of being baptized confessing their 
sins in expectation of him who was shortly to 
come, who was Jesus Christ ; the administra- 
tion of baptism to believers must now be done 
in the form which he prescribed to his apostles, 
when he commanded them to go into all the 
world and to preach the Gospel to every crea- 
ture. In their reception of this ordinance, they 
express their obligations to become the imitators 
of his meekness and gentleness, to cultivate a 
peaceable, patient, benevolent, kind and forgiv- 
ing spirit — and to be separate from all iniquity 
and all appearance of evil. By a participation 
of this solemn and significant rite, they testify 
their entire dependence upon his merits, their 
faith in his blood ; and that their only hope of 
redemption from their vain conversation is in 
him alone, as the promised Messiah, who has 
already come — fulfilled all righteousness — over- 
come the tempter — beheld him as lightning fall 
from heaven — and inflicted upon his head a 
deadly bruise, which is soon to issue in his final 
vanquishment, and in the eternal overthrow of 
all his enemies — that because he lives, they may 
live also. In this way they are baptized into 
the death of him who was the Antetype of all 
the types and sacrifices enjoined by the law ; and 



221 

who made an end of sin when he poured out his 
blood upon the cross, and exclaimed : It is fin- 
ished. Here, then, brethren, we have before 
us a lively emblem of the believer's hope of a 
resurrection to eternal life, through the death 
and resurrection of him, who declared ; " Sacri- 
fice and offering thou wouldst not, but a body 
hast thou prepared me ; in burnt offerings and 
sacrifices for sin thou hast had no pleasure. 
Then said I, Lo, I come, (in the volume of the 
book it is written of me,) to do thy will, O 
God. — By the which will we are sanctified 
through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ 
once for all." 

Of the nature of this offering of the body of 
Christ even the twelve had very imperfect and 
limited views, till after his resurrection. When 
they had prepared the Passover and Jesus had 
taken bread and blessed and broken it, and told 
them that it was his body broken for sin ; and 
that the cup was the New Testament in his 
blood ; they did not understand how the re- 
demption of Israel was to be effected by his 
death. When he took the twelve apart, in the 
way, as they were going up to Jerusalem ; and 
told them : — " Behold we go up to Jerusalem ; 
and the Son of man shall be betrayed unto the 
chief priests and unto the scribes, and they shall 
condemn him to death, and shall deliver him 
unto the Gentiles to mock, and to scourge, and 
to crucify him ; and the third day he shall rise 
again ; — They did not properly comprehend, 
how, in this way, they were to be purged from 



222 

iheir sins ; or how in this way, there was to be 
erected a kingdom against which the gates of 
hell should never prevail. And though he told 
them that the third day he should rise again ; 
the women made them astonished who were 
early at the sepulchre and informed them of it. 
And one of them was so incredulous that he 
would not believe till he saw in his hands and 
side the print of the nails. " What manner of 
communications are these, that ye have one to 
another," said Jesus to the two who were going 
to Emmaus, " as ye walk and are sad? And 
the one of them whose was Cleopas, answering 
said unto him, art thou only a stranger in Jeru- 
salem, and hast not known the things which are 
come to pass there in these days ? And he 
said unto them, What things ? And they said 
unto him, concerning Jesus of Nazareth, who 
was a prophet mighty in deed and word before 
God and all the people ; and how the chief 
priests and our rulers have delivered him to be 
condemned to death, and have crucified him. 
But we trusted it had been he who should have 
redeemed Israel ; and besides all this, to-day is 
the third day since these things were done : 
yea, and certain women also of our company 
made us astonished who were early at the sep- 
ulchre ; and when they found not his body, 
they came, saying that they had seen a vision 
of angels, which said that he was alive. And 
certain of them who were with us went to the 
sepulchre, and found it even as the women had 
said ; but him they saw not. — Then said he un- 



223 

to them, O fools, and slow of heart to believe all 
that the prophets have spoken ! Ought not Christ 
to have suffered these things and to enter into 
his glory 1 And beginning at Moses and all 
the prophets, he expounded to them in all the 
scriptures the things concerning himself." " Af- 
ter this he appeared to the eleven and did eat 
before them," telling them, that, " all things 
must be fulfilled which were written in the law 
of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms 
concerning him. He then opened their under- 
standing, that they might understand the scrip- 
tures, and said unto them, thus it is written, 
and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise 
from the dead the third day ; and that repent- 
ance and remission of sins should be preached 
in his name among all nations beginning at Je- 
rusalem." _ 

Here, first of all, was to be preached the way 
of eternal life through Jesus Christ and him 
crucified. Here, first of all, were to be an- 
nounced to his betrayers and murderers, to the 
Scribes and Pharisees, chief priests and elders 
and rulers of the people, the messages of mercy 
through the blood of the cross, as the only door 
of hope, by repentance towards God, and faith 
in the Lord Jesus Christ. Here, too, they were 
to wait for the promise of the Father, till they 
were endued with power from on high. Till, as 
Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, 
the Son of man had been lifted up ; the way 
was not fully prepared for them, so distinctly to 
see, and so perfectly to understand as they af- 



224 

terwards did, the nature of the faith required of 
them, for their acceptance with God. He could 
reveal Himself as He did to Abraham, if He 
saw fit ; but the dispensation of the fullness of 
time had not then arrived — the day of Pen- 
tecost was not fully come. Then, in one day, 
on the preaching of Peter, there were added to 
to the number of the names, which the writer of 
the Acts tells us was a hundred and twenty ; 
three thousand souls, who were baptized into 
Christ and into his death, agreeably to his com- 
mand, in the form which he prescribed to his 
apostles after his resurrection. And this, it ap- 
pears to me, was, doubtless, the first time, that 
baptism, in the express form, and according to 
the express institution of Christ, was ever admin- 
istered. 

I have never been able by force of argument, 
or any authority perceptible to my understand- 
ing from the word of God, to see the necessity 
of identifying the baptism of John with the in- 
stitution of baptism by Jesus Christ, as given in 
charge to his apostles after his resurrection, to 
be administered to those who became his disci- 
ples through faith in his name. It seems most 
probable, as our Lord by receiving baptism of 
John gave it his sanction as it was fit he should, 
to " fulfil all righteousness;" that his disciples 
did, also, administer it to such, as, by bringing 
forth fruits meet for repentance, expressed a de- 
sire to become his followers. For we are told in 
Luke vii. 29. that " all the people, and the pub- 
licans justified God, being baptized with the 



225 

baptism of John ;" though John himself, it is 
more than probable, was then in prision. Does 
it certainly follow, because the annunciation of 
John, as ImmanuePs harbinger, and his preach- 
ing in the wilderness the baptism of repentance, 
are denominated the beginning of the Gospel of 
Jesus Christ ; that, therefore, between his bap- 
tism and that of Messiah there was no differ- 
ence ? It appears to me to be an institution for 
the time being — a preparation of the way of the 
Lord, a making manifest to Israel of the com- 
ing of the Son of Man, till the design of it should 
be more distinctly known and understood than 
it then was ; though there was, doubtless, a su- 
perior degree of light concerning it, imparted to 
Peter, James and John in the holy mount, than 
was then enjoyed by the rest of the twelve. 

While, however, it is granted by some, that 
John immersed his followers in the Jordan, and 
that Christ was immersed ; they nevertheless 
insist upon it, that the sacrament, which, after 
his resurrection was instituted by the Head of 
the church, was immersion or sprinkling either, 
no matter which — that it was altogether a non- 
essential; or the word was so ambiguous in its 
signification, that no body could tell whether 
the water was to be applied to the subject or 
the subject to the water ; or how the Saviour 
intended the ordinance he instituted should be 
administered. They say, however, that the 
proper subjects for the reception of the ordin- 
ance were believers and their households ; and 
that when the households contained infants, 



226 

they were to be sprinkled — not because they 
believed themselves, but because their parents 
or sponsors, masters or guardians, believed for 
them ; and that baptism, was performed in exact 
accordance with the command, and according 
to the true meaning of the Saviour, whether the 
water were applied by immersion or by sprink- ' 
ling ; and that as it was easier and more conven- 
ient to do their duty to infants by sprinkling 
them, as an expression of their faith in Christ 
as the Saviour of sinners ; it was therefore their 
choice to testify their love by keeping his com- 
mandment to have them sprinkled. They say 
that baptism is the initiatory ordinance, the 
proper door for the entrance of believers into 
the church ; but, that, as infants are incapable 
of faith, they are not admissible to church fel- 
lowship, till of sufficient age lo understand the 
way of salvation, and to make it evident that 
their faith in Christ is such as the Gospel en- 
joins. That, when they come to years of dis- 
cretion, if it appear that they are possessors of 
such a faith as is working by love, purifying the 
heart and overcoming the world , that, then, 
they are to be admitted into the church as bap- 
tized persons ; and that they are to regard the 
sprinkling performed for them in unconscious 
infancy as their own act, and precisely the same 
as though they had obeyed the Saviour by being 
immersed or sprinkled — no matter which, it be- 
ing a non-essential — after they believed ! 

They say that the covenant of God with Abra- 
ham to give him the land of Canaan ; and his 



227 

promise to be a God to him and his seed after 
him ; and his requiring him to circumcise on 
the eighth day, all males .that were born in his 
house or bought with his money, makes it the 
duty of believers to have all their children male 
and female baptized, or sprinkled, which is the 
same thing — quite as pleasing to God as im- 
mersion, and much more convenient for them; 
because they say that baptism is the same to 
them, as was circumcision to Abraham and his 
household with his numerous progeny in after 
ages. 

There are others, who say that infants are 
born into the world neither holy nor sinful ; 
who, nevertheless, make it the duty of the pa- 
rent to have them sprinkled ; but for what cause 
I have never been told ; since it is undeniably 
plain that, if they are born without sin, they 
form no part of the number of those whom 
Christ came to seek and save, and to whom the 
blood of atonement is applied to render them 
heirs of eternal life. 

Infant baptism, moreover, which some pro- 
nounce to be sprinkling only, is considered by 
them as an ordinance instituted by Christ in the 
room of circumcision, which they say impliedly, 
though not expressly in so many words, was too 
burdensome a rite and too indecent for the Chris- 
tian dispensation ; for if immersion by them is 
thus regarded, circumcision must surely be no 
less revolting. 

The opposition, too, of its ablest advocates in 
regard to the mode — some insisting, with Dr. 



228 

Wall at their head that immersion was the an- 
cient practice ; while others are no less positive 
that sprinkling is equally valid — contributes not 
a little to unsettle weak minds, and to lessen 
their confidence in the Holy Scriptures as the 
word of God. 

For while it is admitted by all that Baptizo 
in the Septuagint signifies to dip ; (see 2 Kings, 
v. 14,) many, at the same time, assert positively 
with assured confidence, that in the New Tes- 
tament, the self same word has no such meaning. 
If its meaning in the Old Testament be retain- 
ed in the new, the correct rendering of Mark 
vii. 3, 4. will be : — " Except (nipsontai) they 
wash their hands oft, they eat not. And when 
they came from the market, except (bapiisontai) 
they immerse themselves they eat not." An over- 
much righteous custom required by their tradi- 
tions, but not by the law of Moses ; which left 
the Pharisee in Luke xi. 28. knowing the ex- 
posure of Jesus to defilement from the multi- 
that thronged him, to be as though he had come 
from the market, to marvel that (ou proton 
ebaptisthe) he had not first been immersed (for 
so the word should be rendered, if its meaning 
in the New Testament be the same as in the 
Old,) before dinner. 

Now, though there are many that admit that 
immersion is baptism ; they yet profess to think 
that the multitudes who resorted to John for 
baptism were not immersed but sprinkled by 
him ; because they say to have immersed so ma- 
ny in so short a time would have been impossi- 
ble. 



229 

They say also, that the twelve apostles, who, 
they suppose, were the only persons duly au- 
thorized to administer baptism, could not, in 
addition to their labors of preaching and exhor- 
tation, have, afterwards, immersed besides, the 
three thousand that gladly received the word on 
the day of Pentecost — that convenient places, 
near at hand, were not to be found — that the 
immersion of women would be indecent — that 
they had no change of raiment — and, therefore 
that sprinkling to them is valid baptism they 
are quite confident. 

They think the interpretation here given must 
be true ; because they are at a loss to conceive 
how it was possible, that, in the same hour of 
the night in which the Jailor and his household 
believed, they were straightway admitted to the 
holy ordinance, in an apartment of the prison, 
where, they suppose, there was nothing in prep- 
aration for immersing adults ; and that, there- 
fore to baptize means to immerse or sprinkle, ac- 
cording to circumstances, as is most conven- 
ient — or as the candidate chooses.* 



* That to immerse is the obvious meaning of baptizo, no 
one, who is conversant with its use by the Greek classics, will 
presume to deny. And all the arguments I have ever, as 
yet, seen employed by Paedobaptist writers, to modify, or in- 
vest it with a different meaning, appear to me of a character 
similar to the arguments employed by the Jews in refusing 
their acknowledgment of Jesus of Nazareth, as the Messiah of 
their prophets. " Shall Christ come out of Galilee ? Hath 
not the Scripture said, That Christ cometh out of the seed of 
David, and out of the town of Bethlehem, where David was V y 

" This word," as quoted by the Rev. Alexander Carson of 
Edinburgh, p. 96, New York edition, " is found in Polybius, iu 

20 



230 

Is it true, then, that a word, which is, in the 
Old Testament, used to express immersion and 
is so used by the Greek classics, is in the New 
Testament, simply used to denote sprinkling, 
when the Son of God is to be obeyed by the ad- 
ministration of a sacrament of his own appoint- 
ment ! — merely because, if it means immersion 
many who practice sprinkling, and wish to vin- 
dicate and defend it, have interposed difficulties 
and objections to contradict the testimony of the 
inspired narrative ? Shall we then, lest the truth 
of God be called in question, endeavor like Uz- 
zah to sustain it, by presuming to say what it 
never said ? Shall we not rather with Berean 
frankness examine its claims ; and whether, if 
immersion 25 meant, there are any difficulties 
greater than those which meet us in the account 
we have of the circumcision of Abraham and 
his household ? 

" The way-faring men, though fools," yet in- 
quiring to knoio that they may do the will of 
God precisely as commanded, recur to books 
that were made, expressly, to define words. 
Walker, they perceive, defines " To Baptize, 

circumstances that leave no doubt of its signification. He ap- 
plies it to soldiers wading- through deep water, and ex- 
pressly limits its application to that part of the body which 
was covered with water -.—baptizomenoi eos mechri. 
"The foot soldiers passed with difficulty, baptized or 
immersed up to the breast. 77 Polyb. iii. c. 72. " Does not this 
decisively determine the meaning of baptizo. They were 
not, indeed, plunged over head 3 but for this reason, a limitation 
is introduced, confining the application of the word to that part 
of the body which was under water. That only was baptized 
which was buried. 77 » 



231 

to christen, to administer the sacrament of bap- 
tism." The definition of the word in Webster 
is : u to administer the sacrament of baptism to ; 
to christen. By some denominations of chris- 
tians, baptism is performed by plunging or im- 
mersing the whole body in water, and this is 
done to none but adults. More generally the 
ceremony is performed by sprinkling water on 
the face of a person, whether an infant or an 
adult, and in case of an infant, by giving him a 
name, in the name of the Father, Son and Holy 
Spirit, and this is called christening" 

In Ash, " Baptize (v. t. in divinity, from the 
Greek baptizo, to dip,) to administer the ordin- 
ance of baptism, to plunge, to overwhelm." 

The very able and learned writers of the New 
Edinburgh Encyclopedia, assert : — 

" Baptism in the apostolical age was perform- 
ed by immersion. Many writers of respectabil- 
ity maintain that the Greek verb Baptizo as 
well as its Hebrew synonyme sometimes de- 
denotes sprinkling ; but the various passages to 
which they appeal, will leave every candid mind 
to a different conclusion. The circumstances 
recorded concerning the first administrators of 
baptism are likewise, incompatible with sprink- 
ling. Had a small quantity of water been suffi- 
cient, the inspired historian would never have 
said, John baptized in the river Jordan, and in 
Enon, because there was much water there. 
The administrators and the subjects of baptism 
are always described, as descending into the 
water, and again ascending out of it. When 



232 

Paul affirms that we are buried with Christ in 
baptism, and raised again, he not only alludes 
to immersion, but upon any other supposition 
there would be no propriety in the metaphor 
which he employs. We are likewise said to be 
saved diet loutrou by the washing, or by the 
bath of regeneration ; where there is a manifest 
reference to baptism performed by immersion. 

In the assembly of the divines held at West- 
minster, in 1643, it w r as keenly debated wheth- 
er immersion or sprinkling should be admitted ; 
25 voting for sprinkling and 24 for immersion ; 
and even this small majority was obtained at 
the earnest request of Dr. Liglrtfoot, w 7 ho had 
acquired great influence in that assembly. 
Sprinkling, therefore, is the general practice in 
this country. Many christians, however, es- 
pecially Baptists reject it. The Greek church 
universally adheres to immersion.'' (Art. Bap- 
tism.) 

Perplexed by statements so at variance of the 
wise and great, they look into their Bible, and 
from the circumstances connected with the his- 
tory of baptism, they concur with the sent- 
iments of the New Edinburgh Encyclopedia, 
that an immersion of the whole body in water, 
was the way in which the rite was administered, 
to those only who professed themselves the chil- 
dren of God by faith in Christ Jesus. In this 
conclusion adopted by them from various narra- 
tives of scriptural record, they become establish- 
ed, beyond a doubt, by the testimony of Dr. 
Mocheim, who declares in his history of the 

- 



233 

church, that, " during the first century after 
Christ, the ordinance of baptism teas administer- 
ed in places appointed for the purpose, without 
the public assemblies, by an immersion of the 
whole body in the baptismal font" And in 
tracing the various denominations of Christians 
to their several founders : as Palagius, Socinus, 
Armenius, Luther, Calvin, Wesley, &c. the 
same learned Dr. also concedes, that " the his- 
tory of the Baptists is hidden in the remote 
depths of antiquity " 

But, is it too much to hope that the time is 
coming, when, in as far as the followers of 
Christ have attained, they will walk by the same 
rule, and mind the same thing ? — and when 
fruits of the forbearance with human weak- 
ness, infirmity and imperfection expressed in 
our Lord's command to his disciples, when they 
saw one casting out devils in his name, and for- 
bade him, because he followed not with them ; will 
be every where visible, in a more loving and 
condescending spirit ? When we see accom- 
plished the prediction, that Ephraim's stick and 
the stick of Judah shall become one stick ; then 
will Joseph's advice to his brethren be remem- 
bered* — the arrows of Zion's King will then be 
sharp in the heart of his enemies — and He will 
ride prosperously, because of truth, and meek- 
ness, and righteousness. 

The grand affair however which more imme- 
diately concerns us and all here present, is to 
see, and feel, and know, that we have the wit- 
Genesis xlv. 24. 

20* 



234 

ness within us ; — that we are the subjects of 
those internal qualifications of heart which are 
manifest in the life ; — in fine, that we have put 
on Christ — that we are possessors of those in- 
ward graces in which a comparison with the 
lively oracles will help to establish and confirm 
us — of which the baptism of water is only a 
shadow, and which it is so easy to have, while 
the thing signified may still be wanting. 

It is this putting on of Christ which strikes 
so deeply at the root of the wide distinction be- 
tween the Jew and Greek ; and the still wider 
distinction which exists between the haughty 
lordling and that species of property, obtained 
by purchase, which spreads his table, and tills 
his land, and gathers his precious and accumu- 
lated fruits into his barns and granaries. It is 
this, also, which elevates from degradation and 
wretchedness the abject and outcast female of 
idolatrous and pagan Asia, to the standing and 
dignity for which the Eternal designed her in 
the scale of being. 

From the continued blindness and incapacity 
of the Jews to perceive in Christ crucified the 
Messiah of their prophets, the doctrine of the 
cross was truly a stumbling block. But the 
precious faith of God's elect has taken it away ; 
and rendered the same doctrine which was folly 
to the Greeks, the power of God and the wis- 
dom of God. The Greeks despised the Jews, 
and the Jews in turn despised the Greeks. But 
as soon as they became the children of God by 
faith in Christ Jesus, the high and mighty bar- 
rier, which pride and prejudice and jealousy in- 



235 

terposed between them, was removed at once — 
there was neither Jew nor Greek — but an inter- 
mingling together like the loving children of 
one and the same family. 

How happy, is, then, the state of society, where 
every one is disposed to stand in his lot, and 
perform with fidelity, cheerfulness and content- 
ment, the various duties pertaining to the state 
and circumstances assigned him by the provi- 
dence of God in unerring wisdom and infinite 
goodness. What conceding indulgence — what 
unaffected and condescending suavity of man- 
ners — what bearing of the infirmities of the 
weak, and pleasing his neighbor for his good 
to edification — what defference — what unfeigned 
respect — what pity and compassion one of 
another — what simple Abrahamic courtesy of 
deportment would there be, w T ere we perfectly 
joined together, and one in Christ Jesus ! O 
how good and pleasant it is thus to dwell togeth- 
er in unity, as children of Abraham, and heirs 
according to the promise of an enduring treas- 
ure unfading and incorruptible ! 

Now, in this putting on of Christ there is a 
putting off of the sins of the flesh — a vanquish- 
ing of those spiritual enemies — those inbred 
corruptions of the heart, which are at war with 
the King of heaven, and like the fountain of the 
great deep must be broken up, ere we can be 
fitted to be fellow citizens of the saints and of 
the household of God. With this renovation of 
the temper and heart produced by faith, which 
is daily and continually actuating the life, there 



236 

is sent from the habitations of eternity into the 
hearts of the children of God by faith in Christ 
Jesus, a spirit of adoption which is heard around 
the throne, crying, " Abba, Father. Blessed 
are the poor in spirit ; for theirs is the kingdom 
of heaven. Blessed are they that mourn ; for 
they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek ; 
for they shall inherit the earth." 

The discursive thoughts that have been sug- 
gested to your reflections, give occasion to re- 
mark, 

1. How enviable is the condition of those 
who are the children of God by faith in Christ 
Jesus. Of such it may truly be said that they 
have all and abound. To them verily, all the 
promises of God are yea, and Amen. Why then, 
O why should the soul of the dear child of God 
be ever cast down or disquieted within him ? 

But are there not some here present, who 
have never yet experienced this infinite, this un- 
speakable privilege ? Will you not then be en- 
treated to be in earnest in aspiring after it ? 
Will you not now make it your only concern ; 
and the only object of your continual, undivided, 
untiring attention ? As they that run in a race 
run all ; will you not now begird yourselves for 
the race ? and run — that you may obtain ? Will 
you not now strive, will you not agonize to en- 
ter in at the strait gate ? For many shall seek 
to enter in and shall not be able. 

2. To such of us as are expecting to commemo- 
rate the dying love of a once crucified but now 
risen and ascended Lord, let the question be put 



237 

which was once put to a sincere and loving dis- 
ciple. Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me 
more than these ? Has Christ the throne of our 
affections ? Is he dearer to our hearts than 
thousands of gold and silver ? Would we soon- 
er part with all the world than part with Christ? 
Is his fruit sweet to our taste ? Is salvation 
through the blood of his cross a precious salva- 
tion ? Then he is our peace. And being justi- 
fied by faith we have peace with God. And, 
hence, to us there is now no condemnation. O 
how blessed a privilege ! The Lord is our 
Shepherd ; we shall not want. Oh, what can 
compensate for the absence of his presence and 
the gracious tokens of his favor. 

Is it not night indeed when He hideth his 
face ? so that we are ready to exclaim ; " Has 
God forgotten to be gracious ? Will he be fa- 
vorable no more ?" But can we not even then 
respond with Peter : " Lord, thou knowest all 
things ; thou knowest that I love thee ?" Then 
let us be more studious — let us be more con- 
cerned — let our aspirations to God be more ar- 
dent, that a deeper and more abiding impress- 
ion of the obligations we are under to him, who 
gave himself a ransom for all to be testified in 
due time, may be graven in our hearts. Let us 
show out of a good conversation our works of 
charity with meekness of wisdom. Let us make 
it manifest by our offices of kindness, forbear- 
ance and love to one another that we have been 
with Jesus, and have learned of him. And by 
a faithful and devout attendance on the solemn 



238 

ordinances he has instututed to be observed in 
every successive generation, till he shall come 
again in the clouds of heaven with the voice of 
the Archangel and the trump of God, and time 
and death shall expire together ; let us testify 
our love to him, and the desire we have to keep 
his commandments. And when we shall come 
around the table of our common Lord — when we 
shall behold the memorials* of his body broken 
for sin — and of his precious blood, which was 
poured out upon the cross, to remove the guilt 
and defilement, for which the blood of thousands 
and of tens of thousands of victims could be of 
no avail ; — let a remembrance that we are not 
our own — that we are bought with a price — con- 
strain us to surrender anew, to our God and Sa- 
viour, all we have and are, as a living sacrifice. 
And may we so eat of that bread and drink of 
that cup, as shall be pleasing to God and profita- 
ble to our own souls. 

3. Let such as have never yet put on the 
Lord Jesus Christ, reflect, how perilous is their 
condition, while standing as they now do, on 
slippery places, held back by nothing but a brit- 
tle thread, and exposed every moment to fall 
where the eyelids of the morning may never 
dawn ! O does it not become us, beloved breth- 
ren, to lift up our prayer in unfainting supplica- 
tion to the throne of heaven, that God would be 



*These memorials are Bread and Wine ; and we have no 
more right to substitute other things instead of them, than we 
have to substitute Sprinkling for Baptism. 



239 

gracious, and have mercy on them ! Who 
knows but our unceasing importunity and the 
fervor of our petitions may move the Most High 
to breathe upon them by his Holy Spirit ; and 
to open to them the way by the sacrifice and 
righteousness of Christ to a throne of glory ? 

Dear sinners, the blessed Saviour by his own 
blood, has set open before you a wide door 
which no man can shut ; and you have nothing 
to do but to look and live. How long then will 
you hug your chains, and prefer the dark prison 
of sin and satan to the light and liberty of the 
sons of God ? O Spirit of holiness ! with the 
fire and hammer of thy holy word, break thou 
in pieces their flinty hearts. Constrain them 
by thy mighty power to cast themselves as hum- 
ble suppliants at the foot of the cross — and by 
faith in Christ Jesus to receive him now as their 
Lord and Saviour ; that when he shall come 
again with his legions of angels to summon be- 
fore him an assembled world, he may remember 
for them his holy covenant : and with all the 
redeemed present them faultless and unblamable 
before the presence of his glory with exceeding 
joy ! 



240 

CONSEQUENCES OF DISREGARD OF THE GOS- 
PEL MESSAGE. 

Agree with thine adversary qurckly, whilst thou art in the 
way with him ', lest at any time the adversary deliver thee to 
the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be 
cast into prison. Verily I say unto thee, Thou shalt by no 
means come out thence, till thou hast paid the uttermost far- 
thing. — Matthew v. 25, 26. 

These words are a part of the sermon deliver- 
ed by our Lord, when, seeing the multitudes, he 
went up into a mountain. And when he was 
set his disciples came unto him. This seat 
with his disciples, it is natural to suppose, was 
in a delightful aperture ; in the area of which, 
the surrounding multitudes would be much bet- 
ter, than elsewhere, accommodated to hear his 
instructions. The speaker, on this occasion, 
was the same, of whom it was said, at another 
time : Never man spake like this man. And 
the prediction of the seraphic prophet, who beheld 
him in vision, saw his glory, and spake of him, 
was then fulfilling, That he should feed his 
nock like a shepherd. For, indeed, he was the 
good Shepherd, who gave his life for the sheep. 
And they that eat his flesh and drink his blood, 
have eternal life, and shall never perish ; neith- 
er shall any man pluck them out of his hand. 
He had come down from heaven and assumed 
the form of a servant to preach the Gospel to 
the poor — to heal the broken in heart — to preach 
deliverance to the captives and recovering of 
sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are 
bruised, to preach the acceptable year of the 



241 

Lord. And he was then performing his godlike 
errand. 

The essence of this Gospel is good news to 
men. It emanates from the height of the sanc- 
tuary of the King eternal, immortal, invisible, to 
revolted subjects in a province of His empire, 
who, in defiance of law and the power of the 
law-giver to punish the offender, have trampled 
upon his authority, proclaiming, in sweeter 
strains than angels use, conditions of peace, and 
terms of amity with the Holy One. It is an ex- 
pression of Divine forbearance to rebels liable 
to death for the first and every offence commit- 
ted against the laws he has given for their mu- 
tual benefit, and the common good of his king- 
dom. It is a revelation of the character of him, 
who " has spread forth the earth and that which 
cometh out of it," accounting its inhabitants as 
grasshoppers, yet stooping to their necessities, 
and showing the desire of his heart to make the 
happiness they aspire after complete and eter- 
nal. It teaches the dependence and accounta- 
bility of his creatures, and how by refusing the 
service they owed him as their Lord and Gover- 
nor, they have insulted his Majesty and bid de- 
fiance to his laws ; together with what has been 
done that the law might be honored, and the 
disobedient reclaimed, sanctified and saved. 

I. First, then, it appears that man by disobe- 
dience has made God his enemy. The stand- 
ard of rebellion has been raised by plucking and 
eating the fruit of a tree forbidden to be touch- 
ed ; and earth shaken to its centre and deluged 
21 



242 

by a flood brought in upon the ungodly, tells us 
of its natural and legitimate consequences in a I 
world dead in sin, and the whole creation, in 
pain together, groaning and travelling. 

" We live estranged afar from God, 
And love the distance well." 

We have become the voluntary destroyers of our 
own souls. We have plucked down ruin upon 
our own heads. And love itself is arrayed 
against us as a consuming fire. 

If you had left in charge to your child or do- 
mestic, a lesson to be learned or a work to be 
done, and, instead of obeying you, had he gone 
to play, done something else, or done nothing ; 
would you view him with the same complacency 
as you would have done, had he been a dutiful 
obedient child ? Impossible ! You would show 
no respect to yourself — no regard to your own 
dignity, or the majesty of the law you imposed 
upon him, unless you were offended, and had 
just cause of complaint against him. And as 
man has disobeyed his Maker ; is it unreasona- 
ble that he should be requested to come to an 
agreement ? 

" Have you made your peace with God V 3 was 
a query proposed by a pious father to his son, 
who, he feared, was remaining impenitent ; who 
replied that he had never known between him 
and his Maker of any falling out. Alas, how 
ignorant are many of the laws of the govern- 
ment under which they live ! But, 



•243 

II. Notwithstanding man has thus grievously 
offended, the Most High in his infinite wisdom 
and the plenitude of his mercy, has devised a 
scheme for his reconciliation, and revealed the 
way in which its benefits are to be realized. 
And on the part of Deity, it has been carried 
into accomplishment, by His Son from heaven 
coming down to earth and assuming our nature 
to bleed and die. And this scheme of reconcil- 
iation is the Gospel of His grace, which he has 
published to men, that they might know 7 what is 
the fellowship of the mystery which from the be- 
ginning of the world had been hid in God. It 
is, Peace on earth, and good will to men reveal- 
ed through his Son, who, with his blood poured 
out upon the cross, has purchased the Holy 
Spirit, that the dead in sin might be quickened 
to perform the conditions on which a peace can 
be ratified. And coming as a Mediator on man's 
behalf, he has announced the necessity of faith 
in his mediation, and of repentance towards 
God as preliminaries of peace, without which 
his offending family may hope, in vain, for an 
agreement with him, who is mighty in strength, 
to render to them according to their ways and 
the fruit of their doings. And, now, by his am- 
bassadors, he is pleading for their acceptance of 
the salvation he proffers, and beseeching them, 
as a friend, out of regard to their own interest 
in time and eternity, to sue for pardon. And 
inasmuch as the weal or wo of human intelli- 
gences is involved in the fulfilment of these con- 
ditions ; who can measure the happiness of them 



244 

that know these things, if they do them ? And 
as men will never know and accede to the terms 
upon which their destiny is hung for eternity, if 
the light of the glorious Gospel of Christ who is 
the image of God do not shine unto them ; who 
can duly appreciate the light of that Gospel, by 
which life and immortality are brought to light ? 
And that this light may be reflected upon the 
surrounding darkness of an ungodly world ; 
what better medium can there be than that of a 
peculiar people, showing forth the praises of 
Him, who has called them out of darkness into 
his marvellous light, by their holy lives and god- 
ly conversation ; and by testifying to men the 
all-sufficiency of Christ Jesus the Lord for the 
wants and woes of a perishing world ? As it is 
written : How beautiful are the feet of them that 
preach the Gospel of peace and bring glad ti- 
dings of good things ? 

" How blessed are their eyes 
Which see this heavenly light ! 

Prophets and kings desired it long, 
But died without the sight. 

How happy are their ears, 

That hear this joyful sound ! 
Which kings and prophets waited for, 

And sought but never found." 

For faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the 
word of God. And this is the word which by 



245 

the Gospel is preached unto you. And when 
Jehovah speaks through messengers commis- 
sioned and sent by him ; the word spoken is 
quick and powerful and sharper than any two- 
edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asun- 
der of soul and spirit, of the joints and of the 
marrow 7 — is a discerner of the thoughts and in- 
tents of the heart, and as the fire and the ham- 
mer which breaketh the flinty rock in pieces. 
His commandment comes, and sin being reviv- 
ed, the sinner dies : and by the power of his 
spirit, he is quickened to a new 7 and holy life. 
He hears w'ith joy the glad tidings that Christ 
Jesus came into the world to save sinners ; and 
that he died for his sins, and was raised again 
for his justification. And seeing himself to be a 
sinner, defiled in every part, lost and ruined, 
and that he needs a physician ; (for they that 
are whole have no need of a physician, but they 
that are sick ;) he exclaims with the leper : 
" Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean. 5 ' 
He hears the reply, I will ; be thou clean. And 
feeling in his soul the healing efficacy of His 
word and spirit, and that his Father in heaven, 
against whom he has sinned, is no longer his 
adversary ; he exclaims with Ephraim : What 
have I to do any more with idols ? Turn thou 
me and I shall be turned ; for thou art the Lord 
my God ; — with Job : I have heard of thee by 
the hearing of the ear, but now mine eye seeth 
thee ; wherefore I abhor myself and repent in 
dust and allies — and with Paul : Lord, what 
21* 



246 

wilt thou have me to do ? And the habitations 
of heaven resound with joy. 

And now, to his astonishment, finding that he 
has performed the conditions on which a peace 
could be ratified between the Majesty of heaven 
and offenders against his holy law ; 

" His rapture seems a pleasing dream, 
The grace appears so great." 

And grateful for the astonishing goodness and 
mercy manifested in his recovery from the fear- 
ful ruin that awaited him ; he arises and is bap- 
tized, washing away his sins, and calling upon 
the name of the Lord. He mourns that he has 
lifted against such goodness and love the arm of 
rebellion ; on account of which beholding by 
faith the Lamb of God who was nailed to the 
tree ; he exchiir;: with the thief who was cru- 
cified with him : Lord, remember me wh 3n 
thou comest into thy kingdom. And the blood 
of the everlasting covenant seals his redemption. 
And while he is being created in Christ Jesus 
unto good works, and God is working in him to 
will and to do ; he casts away his transgressions 
with which he has transgressed, and makes him- 
self a new heart and a new spirit, by that sor- 
row for having loved and served the creature 
rather than the Creator, who is over all, God 
blessed forever, which is after a godly sort, 
working repentance to salvation not to be re- 
pented of. And faith in the expiation provided 
for sin, through the Lamb of God which taketh 



247 

away the sin of the world, springing up in his 
soul ; he feels that between him and his Maker 
there is now an agreement. For the tempest 
within him is hushed ; and there is a great calm. 
And beholding the change, his neighbors ex- 
claim of the greatness of the work, and owning 
the power that wrought it to be of God ; his 
heart responds to the cry. - And he returns with 
the Samaritan to give him the glory. 

Wonder not, then, my impenitent hearers, 
that man, having fallen by his iniquity, and sold 
himself for nought, must be redeemed without 
money ; and that the price of his redemption 
must flow down from the cross. That as he has 
dishonored the law and insulted the law-giver ; 
he must be sorry for his sin, if he would obtain 
a pardon ; and must embrace by faith the sacri- 
fice provided, that the penalty demanded by the 
law may be remitted, and the lawgiver just in 
the justification of the believer in Jesus. That 
if he desires to be happy ; he must become ho- 
ly : If he would regain the paradise he has lost 
— if he would enter the abodes of the blessed ; 
he must be born again. And that the righte- 
ousness of the law may be fulfilled in them who 
walk not after the flesh but after the spirit ; that 
the Son of the Highest in the likeness of sinful 
flesh must condemn sin in the flesh. 

In the person of Wisdom he is represented 
standing in the top of high places, by the way 
in the places of the paths, crying at the gi 
at the entry of the city, at the coming in at thj 
doors. Unto you, O men, he calls, and hi 



248 

voice is to the sons of man. How long, he asks, 
will the simple ones love simplicity, and scorn- 
ers delight in their scorning, and fools hate 
knowledge ? 

" The happy gates of gospel grace, 
Stand open night and day." 

Yes, Jehovah himself, is stooping from the 
throne of his glory, to set open before us the 
pearly gates of the New Jerusalem. But there 
is a strait gate through which we must pass, 
and a narrow way in which we must travel to 
get there. In the first place, then, there must 
be repentance towards God, for the contempt 
we have shown to his government, by our love 
of the world, with its riches and honors and 
pleasures, by doing the abominable thing which 
he hated, and by refusing to call upon his name. 
There must be, also, a denial of self, a taking 
up of the cross, and a continual readiness to ev- 
ery good work. There must, moreover, be a 
holy affiance, a true and living faith in the Lord 
Jesus Christ as the only Mediator between God 
and man. And love to that law, which requires 
that we honor the Son as we honor the Father, 
must be expressed, by that affiance upon his medi- 
ation described by the Psalmist in kissing the 
Son, lest he be angry and we perish from the way 
when his wrath is kindled but a little. 

And now shall we withhold from the Highest 
the honor due to his name, and rush on to ruin, 
while He waits to be gracious, and suspends the 



249 

execution of his law ? which requires, if we re- 
ject his overtures of peace and pardon, and his 
last best gift, in the person of his Son speaking 
from heaven, that we be bound hand and foot 
and cast into prison ; whence he affirms there 
will be no coming out till payment is made of 
the uttermost farthing. Shall we spurn from 
our presence the messengers of mercy beseech- 
ing us in Christ's stead to be reconciled to God ? 
Shall we despise the compassion of the King 
himself, stooping so low and saying : Come now 
and let us reason together. Though your sins 
be as scarlet they shall be as white as snow ; 
though they be red as crimson they shall be as 
wool ? Can we turn away from condescension 
like this ? Or would we wish for terms other 
than these, that by repentance towards God and 
faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, we may be at 
peace with our Father in heaven, and his law 
be honored in our acquittal as just ? Or would 
it be possible for infinite goodness to offer terms 
to revolted subjects of his government, through 
him who has received gifts for men, even the 
rebellious, that he might dwell with them and be 
their God and they his people, that would be 
more safe for the stability of his kingdom, or 
more just to man who intended its overthrow ? 
III. Who then are they to whom pertains the 
direction, we are, presently, to f apply to those 
who are listening to this discourse, to come to 
an agreement with the king of heaven ? Why, 
my dear hearers, it belongs to us all, unless we 
have given our hearts to God already, and laid 



•250 

down the weapons we had taken up to subvert 
his government. Some of this assembly, we 
trust, have done so. Some, we trust, are sow- 
ing to the Spirit ; and as devoted subjects recon- 
ciled and saved by the Lord Jesus Christ, are 
yielding to him their members as instruments of 
righteousness. Some, we trust, have felt the 
blessedness of them whose transgressions are 
forgiven ; and peace and joy too perfect for a 
world to bestow. Some, we trust, are trimming 
their lamps, and begirt with the panoply of the 
Gospel, are going onward from strength to 
strength, fighting the good fight of faith, and 
waiting for the adoption, to wit the redemption 
of their bodies. 

But, alas, we fear there are some who have 
never yet given their hearts to God. And to 
you, my dear hearers, to you in particular, ap- 
plies the direction of our text to come to an 
agreement with the Holy One. You love the 
world, and the love of the Father is not in you. 
You are not seeking to know his will, that you 
may do it. You are closing your eyes to the 
light afforded you by his handy work, and the 
faithful monitor in your own bosom. You are 
casting off fear and restraining prayer. And 
while he is urging you by his word and spirit to 
terms of amity, you say in your hearts : Depart 
from us, we desire not the knowledge of thy 
ways. You have Sabbath and sanctuary oppor- 
tunities, with line upon line and precept upon 
precept, to no purpose, unless it be to render 
your doom the more fearful, and your place in 



251 

his prison of wailing the more dismal. He is 
giving you his rain from heaven, and fruitful 
seasons, and filling your hearts with food and 
gladness ; that the gratitude you owe him may 
go up for an odor of a sweet smelling savor ; 
while yon are vain in your imaginations, and 
unthankful in your feelings ; and thus it is that 
you requite the Lord. He speaks in judgment. 
And you run upon the thick bosses of his buck- 
ler — by repining at his dealings, and blasphem- 
ing his name. He sends his messengers to 
warn you of your danger, that you may repent 
and be converted, and escape the prison, whence 
there can be no departure, till payment shall 
have been paid of the uttermost farthing : But, 
in vain to you is the voice of the charmer, char- 
ming ever so wisely ; for on ears, impervious as 
yours, its melodious sounds can never thrill. 

Will not then the time past of your life suf- 
fice you to have walked in vanity ? And is it 
not enough that other lords, besides him in 
whom you live and move and have your being, 
have had dominion over you and the homage of 
your heart for so long a time ? Can you desire 
an agreement with the Holy One on easier 
terms than to be sorry for your sin, that you 
have grieved his Spirit and trifled so long with 
forbearance which adoring myriads regard with 
wonder ? Will you not then be persuaded to 
consecrate to him the residue of your days, 
which, even now, though it may be at the elev- 
enth hour, he will yet accept. 



252 

IV. Consider the consequences of complying, 
or refusing to comply with this injunction. 
They involve the weal or wo of eternity. It is 
not necessary to stop here to spiritualize ; or to 
attempt an exposition of the terms, Adversary, 
Judge and Officer. Probably our Lord, on this 
occasion, employed them, in allusion to the deal- 
ings of men with one another, who have viola- 
ted the rule of right between man and man, in- 
tending thereby to represent to them what will 
be the dealings of God with such as shall be 
found impenitent and unbelieving in the day of 
trial. You might be seized for some capital of- 
fence against the laws of the land in which you 
live, and be thrown into prison with companions, 
whose society would be worse, if possible, than 
solitude itself; but, in spite of its ponderous 
walls and massy doors, a ray of hope would en- 
ter your bosom, that some how or other, you 
might yet escape. You might be sentenced to 
the gallows, or, to be burnt at the stake ; the 
spirit within you would, nevertheless, defy the 
ruin, and return again to the God who gave it. 
But, if you die impenitent and at odds with him 
who will be your judge and pronounce sentence 
upon you ; you will be cast into the prison pre- 
pared for the prince of darkness with his legions 
of angels, where a ray of hope will never enter 
your bosom. And while the smoke of your tor- • 
rnent will for ever and ever ascend up, the dread- 
ful reality there will tell you, what was intended 
by our Lord in his solemn warning. Fear not 
them which kill the body, and after that have 



253 

no more that they can do. But I will forewarn 
you whom you shall fear : fear him who after he 
hath killed the body hath power to cast into 
hell ; yea, I say unto you, fear him. 53 

Consider, then, the power of the adversary, 
against whom your puny arm has been raised in 
rebellion. It it not an earthly despot before 
whom the princes of the earth quail, and the na- 
tions tremble. It is he who spake and it was 
done ; who commanded and it stood fast ; even 
Jehovah himself, who has called you into be- 
ing, and provided the bread by which you live. 

Think, too, of his kindness and condescen- 
sion in giving you richly all things to enjoy ; 
and, after having become his enemy by wicked 
works, in permitting you to live for a single day. 
And do you provoke him to jealousy ? Are you 
stronger than he ? Can you hurl him from his 
throne, and subvert his kingdom ? Can you 
keep in their orbits the unnumbered worlds of 
his universe ; which remain to this day accord- 
ing to his ordinance, and revolve in their cour- 
ses according to his will ? No — you cannot. 
And you will want a friend. And do you es- 
teem the friendship of the Holy One so lightly 
as to dare him to the combat, by saying, that 
his ways are not equal ; but that you are in the 
right, and Jehovah in the wrong ? Know, 
then, for certainty, that this contest is hastening 
to a close — that there will soon be an impar- 
tial hearing of the parties at issue, from which 
there will be no appeal ; and the seal of eterni- 
ty will be stamped upon it. 
22 



•254 

But, is it right, is it reasonable, that a worm 
enlightened by His sun. refreshed by his rain, 
treading upon his earth and partaking of its 
fruits, should contend with the power that form- 
ed it of the dust ? And, for what ? Because 
the Highest, himself, has manifested to man, his 
desire, after having disobeyed a most reasonable 
command, on terms, which Deity only in his in- 
finite kindness could stoop to propose, to be at 
peace with him, and to become his friend ! For, 
though without cause you have made him your 
enemy : he is ready, notwithstanding, to become 
your friend, And as friends exceeding in num- 
ber the sand of the sea, will avail you nothing, 
if Omnipotence be arrayed against them : do 
you not waul a Fiiend, before whom, the com- 
bined enemies of earth and hell will be as stub- 
ble to the tire, or as briars and thorns of the wil- 
derness set in array against it I 

Be persuaded, then, to remember this, you 
that forget Him : — that by praising Him for His 
goodness and wonderful works to the children 
of men, His name will be glorified : — and that, 
to him that ordereth his conversation aright, 
He will show His salvation ; — lest he tare you 
in pieces and there be none to deliver. Halt, 
no longer, between two opinions. But resolve, 
at once, that, without delay, you will come to 
an agreement with an enemy against whom you 
can have no power: by pleading guilty, and 
exclaiming with the publican : God, be merciful 
to me a sinner. 

And, the very instant, you shall have been tru- 



255 

]y sorry, that you have risen in arms against so 
good a Being ; and truly thankful, that, by faith 
in the Lord Jesus Christ, as able to save to the 
uttermost all that come unto God, by him, you 
can be acquitted as just, and owned as a child ; 
and, as a helpless and heavy laden sinner, you 
shall have sued for mercy at the foot of his 
cross, submitting yourself body and spirit into 
his hands, for time and eternity ; the agreement 
between you and offended Majesty will have 
been accomplished. And let it not be marvel- 
lous in your eyes, that whenever this agreement 
or pacification shall have been effected ; it may 
then be said, that you are born again — not of 
corruptible seed, but of the word of God which 
liveth and abideth for ever, through the Holy 
Ghost sent down from heaven. 

Then the Spirit of adoption will have been 
sent forth into your heart. Then you will be 
deemed a guest meet for the presence-chamber 
of the King Himself. Then you will be able to 
draw from the wells of salvation supplies, suited 
to a spirit, destined like yours to survive, when 
this earth and these heavens shall have passed 
away ; and there shall be no more sea. Then 
the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit will be your 
Friend. Then angels and the spirits of the just 
will be your friends : And " Love without in- 
terruption and without inconsistency, which all 
the bitter waters of your iniquities could never 
extinguish ;" — and from which, " neither life, nor 
death ; nor angels, nor principalities, nor pow- 
ers ; nor things present, nor things to come ; nor 



256 

height, nor depth ; nor any other creature will 
be able to separate you/'' will be engaged for 
your defence. Then your habitation will be 
the secret place of the Most High. And your 
abode will be under His shadow; where your 
joy will be full, and your pleasure, for evermore, 
at His own right hand. 

Will you not then acknowledge your trans- 
gressions to Him, who has found a ransom ; that 
He may forgive the iniquity of your sins, — and 
make you to know the things, ' that eye hath not 
seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the 
heart of man to conceive V Will not the terrors 
of the Lord constrain you to break off your sins 
by turning to Him ; that you may be happy in 
time, and happy, for ever, in the society of the 
holy around the throne ? Have you no desire 
for your own best good, as well as that the 
hearts of the holy may thrill with joy ? And is 
it nothing to you that there will be joy in heav- 
en, whenever the weapons of your rebellion are 
thrown down, and your will in unison with the 
will of your Maker ? 

Angels are waiting to strike anew their gol- 
den harps, and to carry up to the court of heav- 
en the glad tidings, that by sorrow for sin, and 
faith in the Sacrifice provided for its expiation, 
you have submitted to God ; and the Book of 
His Remembrance is open, to record it there. 

Consider, too, that you have now a blessed 
opportunity ; for you are now in the way with 
Him : but very soon you will be out of His way ; 



257 

and He will meet you no more upon terms like 
these. 

Resolve, then, that you will famish your soul 
no longer, by filling your belly with the husks of 
the world, instead of eating that which is good, 
and delighting your soul in fatness, but, that, 
without delay, you will arise and go to your Fa- 
ther's house. Though you have left Him with- 
out cause, and have made Him your enemy by 
wicked works ; He is a generous foe, and His 
terms of agreement are exactly suited to a sin- 
ner like you. Even now He is yearning over 
you with the bowels of a father ; and at the first 
step you take to return, He will advance to meet 
you with words of peace. Acknowledge the 
justice of your condemnation ; and you will find 
that He is rich in mercy, and magnanimous to 
forgive. And, Because there is wrath, beware ; 
For, 

" Where promises and grace 
Can neither melt nor move, 
The angry Lamb resents 
The injuries of his love, 
Awakes his wrath without delay, 
As lions roar and tear the prey." 

" To day," then, if you will hear His voice, 
harden not your hearts. But, " Agree with thine 
adversary, quickly, whilst thou art in the way 
vith him. lest, at any time, the adversary deliv- 



258 

er thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee 
to the officer, and thou be cast into prison : Ver- 
ily, I say unto thee, thou shalt by no means 
come out thence till thou hast paid the utter- 
most farthing." 

May it please Thee, O God, to grant that 
what has been spoken, at this time, in accor- 
dance with the lively oracles, may be fast- 
ened in every heart, as with nails, by the Master 
of assemblies, attended by those special and 
saving influences, without which, Paul may plant 
and Apollos water in vain : — That it may not 
be our condemnation, now that light has come 
into the world, and the great things of Thy law 
are so clearly revealed, that we regard them as 
foolishness, and as a strange thing. And now 
that Thou art in the way with us, and art en- 
couraging us to return unto Thee, from whom 
we have revolted and against whom we have 
sinned, with the promise that Thou wilt return 
unto us ; that it may not aggravate our doom, 
that we have set at nought Thy counsel, and 
would none of Thy reproof — That we may be 
saved from the sentence of those privileged and 
highly favored cities, blest with seasons of in- 
struction from the lips of Him who spake as 
never man spake, and of whom it was declared, 
that, in the day of judgment, it would be more 
tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrah than for 
them ; — and that it may not eventually be 
shown, as an evidence of our folly and unbelief, 
and pride, and contempt of Thy word and com- 
mandment, that the kingdom of God was 



•259 

brought nigh unto us, and that we judged our- 
selves unworthy of everlasting life : — And now 
that the day spring from on high is poured upon 
our path, to guide our feet into the way of 
peace ; and we have line upon line, and precept 
upon precept; that it may not be said of us as 
it was said concerning Israel of old, that he is 
joined to his idols ; and that, all day long Thy 
hand has been stretched out unto a disobedient 
and gainsaying people. Let us remember, that, 
being often reproved, if we harden our necks, 
abide in unbelief, and refuse to be instructed, 
there will remain, hereafter, no more sacrifice for 
sin, but a certain fearful looking for of judg- 
ment and of fiery indignation. And let us ac- 
quaint ourselves, and be at peace with Thee, 
our Father in heaven, who art angry with the 
wicked every day, while it is an accepted time, 
and Thou art waiting to be gracious ; that we 
may know the blessedness of them whose trans- 
gressions are forgiven, and in whose spirit there 
is no guile. And to Thy great name, Father, 
Son, and Spirit, shall be all the praise, for ever 
and ever. Amen. 



POETIC EFFUSIONS. 



Invocation to Friendship. 

Say, what is life with all its schemes, 
Its feigned or visionary dreams, 
Or what avails its glitt'ring gold, 
Or gallant deeds by sages told ; 
Unless attended by the sweets 
That flow where mutual friendship meets ; 
And soothe the labors of the day, 
And drive the gloom of life away ? 

The rich, alone, are idolized ; 
To them, the poor are sacrificed ; 
Says Solomon " they've many friends," 
Or wealth would be but poor amends 
For that reciprocal regard, 
From which the poor are not debarred. 

Hail ! blest Society, whose charms 
The cloud of gath'ring gloom disarms, 
Which pours its tempest on the soul, 
Till seas of dire commotion roll. 

"What think you of the man, who flees 
From social charms, to court the trees, 
Where savage beasts perplex the sight, 
And steal refreshing sleep at night ; — 
Or birds, of different size and kind, 
Refresh and cheer the hermit's mind, 



•262 

And, by the tuneful notes they raise, 
Awake to gratitude and praise ? 

What conversation with the birds, 
Or brutes, that roam in flocks and herds, 
Can man, ordained for social ties, 
In any speech or form devise ; 
Ordained, by mutual helps, to aid 
Each other through tlv embittered shade, 
Where thorns infest the rugged way, 
And tempests agitate the day ? 

Tis true instruction often flows 
To man, unheeded, as he goes ; 
And brutes, and creeping insects, too, 
The mind, with useful hints, imbue : 
Yet these, alas ! can ne'er supply 
The charms of sweet society. 

This airy form was never found 
Moving in one perpetual round. 
A change of fortune or caprice 
May either lessen or increase 
Th ; associates, man, as friends, surveys, 
Treading the world's delusive maze, 
Whom, like a villain, they would spurn, 
Should once the scale against him turn. 

Happy the man, whose sober life 
Makes him a stranger to the strife, 
Which discomposes half the world 
In search of bliss — their sails unfurled, 
Like pirates — who invade the seas, 
In spite of national decrees, 



•263 

And plunder, wheresoe'er they can, 
Alike the knave and honest man — 
Mammon's the god which they adore, 
For which new regions they explore ; 
And all the happiness they know 
Consists in wealth, parade, or show — 
Who quits the giddy stream, that leads 
To those imaginary meads, 
Where feigned Arcadian scenes display 
Elysian fields and brilliant day ; 
Where entertainments rare and new 
Unnumbered open to his view ; 
Where pleasure, with alluring arms, 
Exhibits all her heightened charms — 
Or gaudy toys attract the eye, 
And charm the silly passers by : — 
But, when the scene, in proper light, 
Appears to the admiring sight, 
There's nought but false ideal joys, 
The man, pursuing which, destroys — 

Then where does real friendship dwell ? 
Indeed 'tis difficult to tell. 

David's^Lamentation over Saul and Jon- 
athan. — 2 Sam. i. 19 — 27. 

In the high places, Israel's beauty lies ; 
How are the mighty made the victor's prize ! 
In Gath or Ascalon, oh ! never tell 
Of the sad scene, nor how the valiant fell ! 
Lest Gaza's daughters, proud of their success. 
Rejoice in aggravating our distress 



^64 

Heights of Gilboa, let there be no dew. 
Nor rain to cheer, nor flocks to visit you : 
For there the shield of might an impious foe 
Did from its owner insolently throw — 
The shield of Saul — as though upon his head 
The consecrating oil were never shed. 

For frequent proof of signal valor shown, 
The son of Saul unrivalled stood alone ; 
And Saul himself, with many a victory blest. 
His loyal subjects gratefully caressed. 

Beloved in life, combined in arms they died : 
And Saul and Jonathan fell side by side : 
Swifter than eagles searching for their prey : 
Lions, themselves, were not so strong as they. 

Daughters of Israel, with united tears. 
Proclaim your sorrow where his tomb appear? ; 
Who clad you all in robes adorned with gold 
And pliant purple soft with many a fold. 

How are the mighty fallen ! while the stain 
Of crimson torrents desecrates the plain ! 
Oh Jonathan ! thy life was snatched away 
Where multitudes had marked thee for* a prey. 
For thee, my Brother, grief invades my breast; 
Among my friends the choicest and the best ; 
Thy love to me was wonderful indeed. 
Which did the love of women far exceed. 

How are the mighty fallen, 'mong the dead ! 
And where the weapons, once inspiring dread ! 



265 
Isaiah xxxvth. Chapter, 

Sweetly, the region desolate and barren 
Shall bud and blossom, e'en with joy and sing- 
ing ; 
Lebanon's glory to it shall be granted, 
And the rich attire, 

Waving on Carmel, and the fields of Sharon ; — - 
For numbers are to see Jehovah's glory, 
And, in thanksgiving, for his loving kindness, 
To raise their voices. 



Gladness shall, therefore, through the desert echo, 
And the retired place shall for them be joyful, 
So as to blossom like the rose prolific, 

Yielding sweet odors. 

Let, then, the weak ones' hands and knees be 

strengthened ; 
Say to the timid, wait, and be courageous ; ' 
Soon you shall witness, hasting to your succor, 
Him, who will save you. 

Then the unseeing shall see light from heaven, 
And ears of deafness to its voice give audience ; 
Then shall the lame leap as a hart, and songs be 
Uttered by mute ones. 

For in the wild waste rivulets shall murmer, 
And the ground sun-burnt shall a living pool be 7 
And the land thirsty shall be saturated 

With springs of water. 
23 



266 

In the abodes, too, the repose of dragons, 
Grass shall be verdant both with reeds and 

rushes ; 
Also a highway, and a way shall be there 
Where no unclean one 

Shall have admittance — Holy ones shall hold it, 
And onward on it, guided by the day spring, 
Wayfaring pilgrims shall proceed, unerring, 
Though they be simple. 

Prowl shall no lion there, nor beast ferocious ; 

But, sweetly tranquil, the redeemed shall walk 
there. 

And the Lord's ransomed shall return with an- 
thems, 

And come to Zion, 

With joy eternal every head encircling — 

Yea, joy and gladness, to the blood-bought army ; 

Being unmeasured, shall expel for ever 

Sorrow and mourning. 



EZEKIEL, XXV. &/ XXvi. 

Men of Amnion ! the wrath of Jehovah is 

stirred, 
For this cause, when His house was profaned, 

that your word 
Was Aha ! when the kingdom of Israel was rent, 
And when Judah's tribe into captivity went. 



261 

Your invaders shall take you, for this, in their 

net ; 
And the sun of your glory in sorrow shall set. 
On your fruit and your milk shall feed daintily, 

bands 
Of a race, from afar, who shall dwell on your 

lands ; 
In your fields, that you tilled, they shall reap 

their supplies, 
And abodes, by your wealth, for their children 

shall rise ; 
In your dwellings in Rabbah, shall camels lie 

down, 
And their flocks, in the mansions of Amnion's 

renown. 

As the clap of your hand and the stamp of 

your foot, 
Showed the joy of your malice of heart had deep 

root; 
So shall come out against you in anger the 

Lord, 
And the heathen shall over you rule with the 

sword. 
You shall, perishing, out of the countries be 

thrown ; 
' It is thus He'll destroy you to make Himself 

known. 

In that Moab and Seir declare, Judah is found 
Very like unto all of the heathen around ; 



268 

Shall the cities of Moab's fair border be riven, 
And to men of the east in possession be given : 
And, in judgments, to come on that beautiful land 
Shall be seen and acknowledged an Almighty 
hand. 

I will stretch out my hand upon Edom, saith 

God, 
And cut off man and beast with the sword of my 

rod, 
For his treatment of Judah, revengeful and base, 
And the sword shall devour his malevolent race ; 
And the just indignation, for which I will call, 
By the hand of my people on Edom shall fall. 
By my anger and fury enforced by their sword, 
I will bring them my vengeance to know, saith 

the Lord. 

Saith the Highest, moreover, the durable 
spite, 

The Philistines have shown, I will surely requite ; 

And their land shall by them be no longer en- 
joyed ; 

And their haven for ships shall be wholly des- 
troyed. 

And, in tokens, by which my rebukes shall be 
shown, 

My displeasure against them, shall, by them, be 
known ; 

And, by judgments, that wait upon them to be 
brought, 

They shall know 'twas not Dagon by whom they 
were wrought. 



269 

The Eternal declares he will Tyrus molest, 
For insulting Jerusalem, greatly oppressed ; 
And for thinking, by means of her perilous state, 
To become more abundantly famous and great. 

Many nations shall, therefore, the Tyrians, 

sweep, 
With the besom of ruin, like waves of the deep, 
And her fair in the field by their weapons shall 

fall, 
While alike are demolished her towers and her 

wall, 
Till resembling a rock where the waters prevail, 
Whence the dust of its summit is whirled by the 

gale ; 
Her commodious mart where her traffickers met, 
Shall a sea have become for the fishermen's net, 
Till convinced, while her victors her opulence 

share, 
That, in ruin so fearful, Jehovah was there. 

For a king, saith the Lord, against Tyre shall 

come forth, 
Even Nebuchadnezzar, a prince from the north; 
At the rush of whose army, the city shall shake, 
And the people with dre*i and amazement shall 

quake, 
When his horsemen and chariots, resounding 

afar, 
Shall beset them with axes and engines of war, 
And much people with courage undaunted that 

I glow, 

Every vestige of splendor shalteaube to lie low 
*^3* 



270 

The Phoenicians, by dust of his steeds so con- 
cealed, 

That their place, by their wailing, shall scarce 
be revealed ; 

While the fall of their towers shall communicate 
sport 

To the troops of his mount and his well contriv- 
ed fort, 

And the pierced by the sword of their forces 
shall groan, 

And the streets with the dying and dead shall 
be strown. 

And the Tyrians garrisons broken and foiled, 

Of her wealth and her merchandise Tyre shall 
be spoiled ; 

And her pleasant abodes, overthrown, shall be 
placed, 

With the timber and stones, in the watery 
waste. 

Her tumultuous songs shall then cease, saith 
the Lord, 

And the sound of her harps shall be never more 
heard. 

Like the top of a rock, she shall then be dis- 
played, 

On which nets, to be fnended or dried, shall be 
spread. 

Never there, at proud dwellings, shall gaze mor- 
tal eyes : 

He has said it, who veils the wide world with 
his skies. 



271 

J Tis demanded of Tyre by the Sovereign of all, 
If the Isles shall not shake at the sound of her 

fall, 
When the cry of the wounded, ; mid heaps of the 

slain, 
Shall, in clangor of battle, be poured out in vain ? 

All the kings of the sea from their thrones 

shall then haste, 
And shall lay off their garments, with which 

they were graced ; 
And with trembling attired, on the ground they 

shall sit, 
As will well their astonishment at her befit. 

And they mournfully over her then shall ex- 
claim ; 

How is ruined our city of mercantile fame — 

She — whose strength in the sea the aggressor 
defied, 

So that none disallowed in her harbor might ride ! 

While with terror the neighboring isles shall be 
tossed, 

On account of her fall, or for property lost, 

Greatly anxious for those, from her city that 
strayed, 

Or for those that were into captivity led. 

For thus saith the Most High, when desert- 
ed and drear, 
I shall make her like those that have ceased to 
appear, 



272 

When, as low as the graves, that, of old time, 

were wrought, 
She with them that go down to the pit shall be 

brought, 
When in desolate parts she shall go down to 

dwell — 
Places low — where no tongue of her history shall 

tell; 
Her dark ruins shall challenge their Author 

Divine, 
And, in shielding my people, my glory shall 

shine : 
For, a fright to herself, and a terror to all, 
She shall neither be built again, after her fall, 
Nor, again, shall she, ever, if sought for, be 

found, 
Is His word, who commanded the spheres to go 

round. 

Acts iiid. Chapter. 

When our hearts rise to God, how delightfully 
flows 
Every moment of life's little season — 
And devotion's glad hour, every Christian well 
knows, 
Brings a feast and new vigor to reason. 

Two disciples, who loved the return of that hour^ 
And its service of holy communion, 

Met, to seek, in the temple, that spiritual shower, 
Which would strengthen the bonds of their 
union. 



273 

At the gate of that temple, so famous, of yore, 

An impotent beggar was seated, 
In hopes, from the affluent passengers store, 

With money or food to be treated. 

It was, one, by whose feet, the earth's bosom, 
impressed, 
From the dawn of his days, had been, never — 
Who, for victuals and raiment, with which he 
was blest, 
Unable to toil, had been, ever. 

Who noticing Peter and John drawing near, 
As they passed him, the temple to enter, 

Their favor implored — with a tremulous fear — 
And the hope of a faint t Peradventure. 5 

'Twas a spectacle pity uncalled that inspired — 
What more their compassion could waken ? — 

Man, behold us, said Peter, you now are desired, 
And be it for certainty taken ; 

Though silver and gold I have none to bestow ; 

In the name in which, now, I address thee, 
What it is to rise up and to walk thou shah 
know — 

May Jesus of Nazareth bless thee. 

Then, embraced by the hand, he exultingly 
rose, 

And walking with rapturous emotion, 
He entered the temple the deed to expose — 

And there, too, to pay his devotion. 



274 

Many saw, with surprise, 'twas the same they had 
seen 

At the gate that was Beautiful named, 
Almost ready to fancy it imagery sheen 

Which the weakness of vision had framed. 

And as Peter and John were still held by the 
man, 

Who was praising the God of salvation, 
Into Solomon's portico multitudes ran, 

And there gazed with intense admiration. 

Peter seeing the people, exclaimed, Tell us 
now — 

(For, at least, you may well be admonished,) 
Why look you on us so intensely ? and how 

Does it come, that you seem so astonished ; 

As though by our goodness or power of our own, 
We had cured the poor man of his lameness ? 

No — the favor of God has been, evermore, 
shown, 
As He pleased, with unchangeable sameness. 

He has made you to see it, through faith in his 
Son, 
In the man who is standing before you — 
And Jesus — whose name achieved all that was 
done — 
From your waywardness waits to restore you. 

Then repent — and he'll wash your offences away, 
In his blood that was shed for transgression — 



'215 

Then God to you all richer gifts will convey — 
Who demands for his mercy — confession. 



Fragments, 

In English Sapphic and English Hexameter ; 
in which the laws of Greek and Latin proso- 
dy are, generally , though not in every instance 
precisely regarded. 

TIME. 

When nature, first, from chaos into action, 
Rose up, obsequious to the mighty summons ; 
Then began Time, with unabated ardor, 
Straightly to roll on. 

Now, the years gliding as a mighty fountain, 
In silent motion go on undiverted, 
Sweetly as sun-beams, on a cloudless morning. 
Charm the beholder. 

Like to streams pressing to the boundless ocean. 
Stop he can never till his race be ended ; 
Yet, in haste, bending, he the words pronounces. 
Be not inactive. 

For though the dreadful havoc of rebellions 
Oft has occasioned overwhelming anguish ; 
Time, ever restless, having had but one course, 
Never has loitered. 



•276 

Then let us keep in proper estimation 
This precious gift, which, duly if regarded, 
Safely will bring us to the happy mansions 
Made to receive us. 



There shall enjoyment be uninterrupted ; 
And, with unfeigned love, the redeemed amonc 

ni6D 
Shall, without ceasing, iterate in anthems, 
Praise to the Saviour. 

Soon the exalted universal Author 
Will nature's works bring to a termination ; 
Then shall, indeed, be realized, by all flesh. 
Ages eternal. 



When storms, in numerous retinues, accompany 
Winter, 

And th' elements exert their force, by destiny 
call'd forth— 

Th 5 impetuosity of winds still continually re- 
doubling — 

And th 5 hoarse roaring seas yet murm'ring in 
every direction ; 

Straightway, the scene changing, while storms 
with pow'rful emotion 

Are adding horror to it, does the Creator, as- 
suming 



277 

A face imperious, with great solemnity frowning, 
Scatter away the clouds — and then — day newly 

refulgent, 
Gives animation sweet — and the bright sun ori- 
ental 
Cloth'd in serenity's radiant beauty leaves the 

horizon, 
With dazzling splendor decorated — while th' 

aqueous clouds, 
T' adorn and beautify the scene, of crimson 

alertness, 
Hang round — all nature is serene — a benignity 

pleasing 
A smile diffuses o'er her face — ever awak'ning 
Where gratitude was felt before — in greater 

abundance. 



Ye saints in glory ! still let the melodious an- 
thems 

Of praise incessant comprise your glorious wor- 
ship. 

Still, with your voices elevated, loudly re-echo 

The love of Jesus — conspire with joyful hosan- 
nahs, 

In strains symphonious to at length present ado- 
ration. 

And ye, in tribulation who gloried, join, the re- 
demption 

Our Mediator Christ has purchased, in celebra- 
ting. 



278 

Ye, who the rack did bare, and in the extremity 
suffering 

Of violent torture, did pray, " the enormity par- 
don ;" 
Loudly resound His praise, to whom entrance 

open, abundant, 
Freely ministered was, being esteemed worthy 

to enter 
Mansions of perfect enjoyment in the New 

Heavens. 
Oh ! let again be resumed earth's dwellers' 

harps, to give utt'rance 
T' hearts with emotions glad penetrated — a holy 

rejoicing 
For favor unmerited so free to the children of 

Adam. 

Solitude. — Written in 1800. 

Divine, O Contemplation, are th'abodes 
Of solitude, blest residence of Him 
Securely passing all his hours away. 
He is the happy man, who lives to praise 
And bless his great Creator, who retires, 
Serenely, to recall revolving thoughts, 
Through all creation's works which wing their 

way, 
Order harmonious, while he sees, who owns, 
No hand could set in motion nature's wheels, 
Except the powerful, wise Disposer, God. 

I come, O Solitude, to dwell with thee, 
" Where heavenly pensive contemplation dwells,'' 



•279 

And unmolested reigns ; T court thy bower, 

Thy shady palaces and rural haunts. 

When, on a Summer's day, I've chosen, oft, 

To rove, at leisure, in the leafy wood, 

For fond amusement ; seeing how the birds 

Warble melodious anthems to their King, 

My mind is filled with high, admiring thoughts 

Of the Creator's wisdom, goodness, love 

And kind beneficence to fallen man. 



SONGS OF ZION. 
Psalm vi. 

With judgment, Lord, correct me now, 

In answer to my groans ; 
Mercy to all my weakness show, 

And heal my broken bones. 

Sustain my spirit, sorely tried, 

Which help from Thee must have ; 

Else — if enlargement be denied — 
My house will be the grave. 

Unconscious dust is silent there — 

And will the Lord deny 
To tears, and never ceasing prayer, 

The aid for which I cry I 



Sorrow, from my decaying eyes, 
Their beaming beauty, steals ; 

Sorrow, admitting no supplies, 
Mv wasted form reveals. 



280 

Foes to my comfort ! do you joy 

And triumph at my wo 1 
Does harm, your busy thoughts employ, 

Of one reduced so low? 

What if the Judge, who hears the moan 

Of such as you despise, 
Should, ultimately, you disown — 

Awarding them the prize ? 

Psalm viii. 

O Jehovah, our Governor, how does Thy name 
The love of all beings unceasingly claim ! 
And Thy glory, though high 'bove the heavens, 

is told 
In the beauty and order of all we behold. 

Thou hast caused even infantile voices to raise 
A tribute to Thee of thanksgiving and praise , 
That the envious, scornful, implacable foe 
Might his pitiful, proud, insignificance know. 

But Thy heavens, the work of thy hands, being 

brought, 
With the moon and the stars to the eye of my 

thought ; 
What is man, that for him Thou dost willingly 

pay 
Such a ransom, from Thee, who has wandered 

away ? 

To the Son of man why are thy visits so free ? 
Astonished, it makes me to ask : Who is he ? 



281 

Whom a little the angels below Thou hast made, 
And glory and honor the crown of his head ; 

That all creatures living in earth, sea or air, 
Fulfilling his will, in his bounty might share ? 
O Jehovah, our Governor, how does Thy name 
The love of all beings unceasingly claim ? 

II. 

Thy glory, Thou, O Lord, hast set 

On high the heavens above ; 
And the rich bounties of the earth 

Tell that Thy name is Love. 

When to the eye of thought, Thy heavens 

Appear in garb serene, 
The queen of night and twinkling orbs 

Thy fingers held between ; 

What's Man, whom Thou, estranged from Thee, 

Doth seek with such concern ? 
Or why t' the Son of Man dost Thou 

With such attention turn ? 

Below th' angelic choirs on high — 

His kingdom without bound — 
Glory and honor dignify, 

And twine his temples round : 

Who from the mouth of babes ordains 

That praise to him shall flow, 
To put to shame the envious strains 
I And malice of the foe. 
24* 



282 

O Lord our everlasting God, 

How excellent Thy Name — 
How widely through the world abroad. 

Is spread Thy matchless fame ! 

III. 

Thy glory Lord, the heav'ns above, 
Shines on the earth in works of love ; 
That love expressed where man is found. 
Tells of Thy Name the world around. 

When to Thy heav'ns my wond'ring views 
Are turn'd — astonished, as I muse 
Upon the moon and orbs of light 
Formed with the fingers of Thy might; 

What's Man, that Thou, at such a cost, 
Dost bring him back a wand rer lost ? 
Or what's the Sox of Max, that he 
Is even visited by Thee ? 

A little lower than angel's made, 
Glory and honor crown his head : 
And all the creatures yield him place, 
Who earth, or air, or ocean, grace. 

To praise him with their infant voice, 
Thy will ordains that babes rejoice : 
That he, the proud, malicious foe, 
May bring, with scorn and envy, low. 

O Thou Supreme, the Great I am 
How are the wonders of Thv Name 



283 

Told from Thy heav'ns, to all on earth. 
Reared, at Thy bidding, into birth ! 

Psalm xxvii. 

Oh ! whom shall I fear, since the Lord is my 
light ? 
His wisdom shall guide me His pow'r shall 
defend ; 
Though a host should beset me, how weak is 
their might ! 
If o'er me the eye of His mindfulness bend. 

I will seek all my days in His temple to dwell, 
To gaze on His beauty and learn from His 
word — 
In^ the time of my trouble with me 'twill be 
well — 
His temple shall perfect protection afford. 

O'er my enemies, now, if in triumph I rise, 
The praise in Thy courts shall be given to 
Thee, 
If my spirit the rage of their malice defies, 
'Tis the pow'r of Thy spirit has rendered me 
free. 

Now, Lord, that my sorrows before Thee are 
spread, 

And, " Seek ye my face," animation inspires, 
O deign of Thy mercy to feed me with bread, 

That will satisfy all my immortal desires. 



284 

Oh ! now, with the light of Thy countenance 
shine, 
And put not in anger thy servant away : 
Thy salvation and aid in time past have been 
mine; 
And this shall induce me to trust and obey. 



Psalm xxxii. 

Blest is he whose spirit knows 

The joy of pardoned sin ; 
And whose every action shows 

That all is peace within. 
While my guilt refused the light, 
Or was verging to a stand, 
Heavy on me, day and night, 

Was Heaven's avenging hand. 

Lord, for folly, when to Thee, 

Unfeigned repentance flowed, 
Peace was mine, and I was free 

From my oppressive load ; 

Therefore with availing prayer 

Shall the just approach Thy Throne, 

Sure that faults, forgiven there, 

Will not again be known. 

Those that by Thy word are led, 
From evil Thou wilt guard ; 

Toil for Thee shall be their bread, 
And glory their reward. 



285 

Baser than the horse or mule, 
Hardly held with bit and rein, 
Is rejection of Thy rule 
Ineffably more vain. 

Psalm xli. 

To him that with affection's eye 
Beholds the poor, shall God be nigh, 
To satisfy with earthly good, 
And richer stores of heavenly food. 

His favor, which he dwells below, 
Shall shield him from the treacherous foe, 
Sustain, when languishing, his head, 
And make in sickness all his bed. 

What but the power of grace Divine 
Can heal this guilty soul of mine, 
And make me, finally, prevail, 
When sin invades, and foes assail, 

And whisperers my hurt devise, 
And say, He's falPn, no more to rise ; 
And e'en to snatch my life away, 
My friend is ready to betray ? 

Vouchsafe this blessing, Lord, to me ; 
And set from sin thy servant free ; 
So shall its stratagems be vain, 
As Ions as thou shalt truth maintain. 



286 
Psalm liv. 

From floods of trouble, heavenly Friend, 

Be Thou my kind abode, 
And wings of mercy o'er me bend, 

Thou all performing God. 

I'll raise my cry to heaven and Thee — 

Nor wilt Thou long forbear 
To set Thy waiting servant free 

From scandal's busy snare. 

The din of men, like beasts of prey, 

Is poured upon my ear ; 
But Thou art higher far than they, 

And yet for ever near. 

Their malice armed against Thy law 

My memory to stain, 
Shall on themselves destruction draw — 

While I unmoved remain. 

I'll ponder Thy unfathomed ways, 
The kindness Thou hast shown,* 

And lift my soul in thankful lays 
To Thine eternal Throne. 

Psalm lxv. 

In Zion, O God, with their offerings, now, 
Thy servants are waiting, to thankfully bow. 
O Thou, who art ever attentive to prayer, 
To Thee their Creator all flesh shall repair. 



287 

How debasing is sin ! how appalling its might ! 
But the blood of the cross procures strength for 

the fight- 
Yea, redemption for him whom Thou choosest 

for Thine, 
In Thy presence to dwell, in Thy temple to shine : 

Where Thou on Thy people wilt kindly bestow 

A repast that shall ever unsparingly flow ; 

While in righteousness, dreadful to sin's swell- 
ing tide, 

Their pray'r may be answered, when that is de- 
nied ; 

Who, through faith, from a principle holy and 

pure, 
Do, meekly submissive, Thy chastening endure ; 
Whose feet Thou wilt evermore graciously keep, 
In the ends of the earth — on the perilous deep. 

By Thy might are the mountains immoveable 
made, 

And the noise of the seas and the people al- 
layed ; 

Who fear the displays of Thy terrible voice, 

While the morning and evening are made to re- 
joice. 

Enriched with Thy river, and watered with rain, 
The earth in due season is loaded with grain ; 
Its furrows are settled and softened with dews, 
And show'rs, that more freely its ridges suffuse. 



288 

The pastures are rudely with flocks overspread, 
The vallies with corn are more densely array'd ; 
Joy wakens the notes of their silent acclaim, 
And praise is the tribute they pay to Thy Name. 

Psalm lxxvii. 

I spread my woes before the eternal Throne ; 

My God regarded all my suppliant sighs ; 
But clouds imbibed the rays that round me shone, 

And my afflicted soul found no supplies. 

Pondering in sleepless nights upon the past, 
And with the present seeking to compare — 

How T long are painful days, like these, to last ? 
And has my God for me, then, ceased to care ? 

His promised love — does it extend to me ? 

Shall I, in future favors, have a part ? 
Compassionate has He forgot to be, 

And shut His tender mercies from my heart 1 

This, then, is my infirmity, I §aid ; 

Wonderous have been His former works of 
grace ; 
Richly his table has, for me, been spread — 

Let me, in these, His loving-kindness trace. 

Still though His way is in the trackless deep ; 

Though clouds portentous intercept the light ; 
Yet may these very clouds His bounties keep, 

And drop them, shortly, on my trembling 
sight, 



-289 

Psalm cxxi. 

From sublunary^hills 
I'll turn my eyes away, 
To seek by faith, and hope, and love. 
Th' immortal King of day. 

My help proceeds from God, 
Who made the heav'ns and earth — 
He guards my life and slumbers not, • 
Who gave this being birth. 

Israel is kept secure 
By Heav'ns resistless pow'r ; 
And watch'd by'eyes that pierce the night, 
In danger's sable hour. 

My Shepherd's guardian care 
Forbids an anxious thought, 
Amid th' unnumbered ills with which 
Life's pilgrimage is fraught. 

The beams of burning day 
Shall ne'er assault my head ; 
Much less, shall night, with feebler ray, 
Its sickly vapors shed. 

Jehovah ! my Defence, 
Omnipotent to save, 
To whom I owe the hope I have 
Of life beyond the grave : 

Vouchsafe from heav'n Thy light. 
On all mv ways to shine, 
25 



290 

That I, hereafter, may unite, 
In worship all Divine. 

Dedicatory Hymn. 

From far below the skies, 
Eternal Friend of all, 
We lift our waiting eyes, 
And at Thy footstool fall — 
With one accord 
Of heart and voice 
Would we rejoice 
And bless the Lord ; 

The Source of all our pow'r, 
Who smil'd, supremely good, 
Protecting ev'ry hour 
The toil of this abode : 
And now the praise 
Must ever be 
Ascribed to thee, 
Thou God of grace. 

Convened at heaven's gate, 
And having sought thine aid, 
We humbly dedicate 
This building we have made : 
Oh ! let it be 
A dwelling where 
We oft may share 
A glimpse of Thee. 



291 

Here may the saints receive, 
Refreshment from above ; 
May sinners here believe, 
And taste redeeming love ; 

And Heav'n incline, 

On every head 

Its beams to shed, 

Of truth Divine. 

Our free-will offerings here, 
Accepted may we bring, 
And in the courts appear, 
Of heaven's eternal King ; 

Whose pow'r remains, 

To show his grace — 

Whom ev'ry place 

Alike contains ! 

Lines, 

Addressed to a lady of Massachusetts, on the 
death of her daughter, in the State of Ohio, 
1833. 

Cease, for your child, widowed parent, to 
mourn, 
Who will again to you never return. 
Sisters, whose hearts the intelligence thrilled, 
Let the disquiet it caused you be stilled. 
Sad though to friends may have been the event, 
Yet may the trial in love have been sent, 
And the effect may be such as will bring 
You to the creature less firmly to cling. 



292 

And, like a child, upon Him to repose, 
Who every benefit on you bestows. 
If such to you the result should be found, 
How in the Lord will your gladness abound — 
How, like his servant of old, will you say, 
Let me from Thee no more wander away. 

Yet, you may ask, Why from friends that she 
loved, 
Must she in sickness be so far removed ? 
Why in their sympathies might she not share ? 
Was there for her no affection to spare ? 
Why might not sorrow be soothed by one look 
Of the withdrawn, ere her last leave she took ? 
Why, in a far distant land, must-she die ? 
Why, among strangers interred, must she lie 1 

Here 'tis your part to be still and submit, 

Sure that to have it so, Heaven saw fit. 

Why it was thus, though now hid from your 
sight, 

Will, in due time, be unveiled to the light. 

What you should wish, while on earth you re- 
main, 

Is, that this trial to you may be gain. 

Would you, then, durable profit derive — 
Grace — that will, evermore, flourish and thrive ; 
Beg of the Father of all to be led 
Where from his throne you shall daily be fed — 
Where you, in doing your duty, shall find 
Permanent joy in a tranquilized mind. 



293 

Did your departed child piously live ? 
At her removal, then, why should you grieve ? 
Did she by faith on the Saviour recline, 
And without wavering say, He is mine ? 
(Hope, that, to gladness in sorrow, gives birth, 
Laid up in heaven, is fruitful on earth.) 
Did she the fruit here of righteousness bear — 
Fruit that alone can for glory prepare ? 
Then, with blest spirits to dwell, she has fled ; 
Then, of things here, she has heaven instead ; 
Then she is satisfied, dwelling at rest; 
Blends then her joy with the joy of the blest. 

Faith that is fastened on Christ will remain ; 
This from the sting of death takes away pain ; 
This is sufficient the troubled to still, 
And every heart with enjoyment to fill : 
This is sufficient to dry every tear, 
And bring the bliss of eternity near. 

Would you with ransomed ones finally meet, 
And for the mansions above be deemed fit ; 
Then of your Father in heaven, as a child, 
Ask an inheritance, there, undefiled, 
Pleading, from sin, for a farther remove, 
And to be more and more filled with his love. 

In the bright path, which the glorified trod, 
Walk, as dear children, the followers of God. 
Would you their peace and their confidence 

know, 
Abk them of Him, who, alone, can bestow. 



294 

Emulate those who have gone to their rest, 
And at the Mercy-seat make your request. 

Lines, 
Written for a Lady's Album, July 2, 1834. 

Few and fleeting are the days 

Assigned to you on earth, 
Which, to joy perpetual, 

Or wo, are giving birth. 
May this thought, from day to day, 
Govern so your earthly course, 
As that you, at last, may say, 
I've found of bliss the Source. 

May you, to this end, be kept 

From all the snares of youth ; 
And may nothing intercept 

The hallowed rays of truth. 

Thus may you in duty's road, 

Banquet your immortal mind, 

Till, in wisdom's high abode, 

A paradise you find. 

Over life's tumultuous sea 

Securely may you glide, 
Till, from sin and sorrow free, 

You near the Throne abide — 
Throne of Him, from whom will flow 
Bliss, as durable as heaven — 
Bliss, that will no limits know — 

And be as freely given. 






295 

Written for Teachers of Sabbath Schools. 
10th September, 1835. 

The lessons, that we give, 
Present the sinner's case, 
And Christ, who died, that man might live, 
Through his abundant grace. 

To him, with burning zeal, 
We aim the heart to win : 
That peace perpetual they may feel. 
Who turn awav from sin. 



Oh ! may we, then, behold 
The children, and the youth. 
And sinners, obdurate and old, 
Enlightened by the truth. 

And thus, through godly fear, 
Imbuing many a mind, 
Oh ! may immortal beings, here. 
The way to glory find. 



296 

Lines, 

Addressed to Miss Marcia Dawes, expecting, 
as the companion of bro. Ingalls, missionary 
to Burmah, to embark at Boston, with bro. 
Reed, (ordained, yesterday, missionary to 
China, and married the preceding Sabbath,) 
and with other missionaries of the A. B. B. 
F. M. to the Coromandel coast, and elsewhere. 
Cummington, 14th Sept. 1835. 

M ost wonderfully, seems to you assigned, 

A field of labor upon Burman shores ; 

R eligion's self must, then, to soothe you mind, 

C onvey before you, glory's dazzling stores, 

I neffably inviting ; else, with pain, 

A t your departure, how will you sustain % 

D ear parents left behind, and many a friend, 
A ttached by ties, too strong for death to break, 
W ith thoughts of tenderness for you, will blend 
E ntreaties, that the Holy One make 
S uccessful, there, your every aim to win 
Souls, from the peigning power and love of sin. 



Corrections.- — 82d page, 6 lines from bottom, for u impart- 
ed/ 7 read inspired. 119th page, for "could be of any use to 
the reading community/ 7 read icas contemplated and hope cher- 
ished of its acco7iiplishment. — The want of uniformity in insert- 
ing passages of scripture, sometimes widi inverted commas, 
sometimes in italics, and sometimes without either, together 
with other errors, the reader will have the goodness to overlook 
•and correct. 

P. 230, 7 lines from bottom, alter watei- rend 
™*on oi pezoi bapihomenoi diebaXroT ^ 



297 

Lines, 

Commemorative of the massacre of Capt. Thomas 
Lathrop and his Company of light infantry , 
who fell in battle with the Indians, at South 
Deerfeld, in 1675. Written 13th Oct. 1835. 

The blood that warms this throbbing breast, 

Once blended with the stream, 
Which, as it winds through smiling meads, 

Reflects a rippling beam : 
That blood — and more than that — was spilled, 

By prowlers, grim and red, 
Who dealt their leaden death, from where 

'Twas dark, with grape-vine shade ; — 

Blood of the brave, unwarned of hordes, 

Who there, in ambush lay, — 
An enemy, of ten to one, — 

Cut down, by heaps, his prey. 
And, now, will passengers peruse 

The story of the stone, 
Which tells of such a foe as this, 

And weep ? if all are gone. 

But, shall these blood-bought fields of ours, 

Our unborn heirs enjoy ; 
And no catastrophe, more sad, 

In years to come, annoy ? 
No — If Jehovah's name we fear, 

These valleys we shall reap, 
When he, who sprang from Lathrop's line, 

In death's embrace shall sleep. 



M 

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